It now appears that Michael Jackson’s personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, administered the potent sedative propofol to Jackson the night he died. Propofol, also known as Diprivan (the brand name), is used to introduce general anesthesia, and is currently the drug of choice for sedation in endoscopy procedures.

We always knew that the King of Pop was surrounded by sycophants, but the circumstances leading to his death, the ultimate “as you wish, sire”, takes the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale to tragic proportions. Not surprisingly, the flattery, worship, and denial continue after his passing, as all interested parties struggle to keep their cash cow viable.

Wireless internet. Service with a smile. Free samples. Comfortable seating (at some locations). Yes, Dunkin’ Donuts coffee tastes better, and is served piping hot. But who cares? Starbucks doesn’t sell coffee, Starbucks sells the Starbucks Experience. And my god, are they doing it well.

I’m a bit of a relentless networker, and I tend to initiate conversations with the perfect strangers I run into during my visits to Starbucks– especially those using laptops, who invariably turn out to be more technically proficient than I am at a number of internet and creative software applications. So, it’s also a place where I can always learn something new.

And speaking of learning something new, our friends at Starbucks have just opened another store in Seattle. However, they’re not calling the store “Starbucks”, rather “15th Avenue Coffee and Tea”. The menu at the new store includes beer and wine in addition to the traditional Starbucks coffee favorites, and the interior design/decor is more akin to the style of a wine bar. They plan to open at least two more of these stores in the Seattle area.

I’ve always thought that every Starbucks store I’ve been to has had its own unique personality based on its location, staff, individual design, product offerings (which do vary), and clientele. In this sense, the variation from store to store has, for me, always been part of the Starbucks charm. And yet, the one thing that all the stores do have in common– or at least, the ones that I’ve been to– is that they provide dependable, quality coffee products and excellent customer service. To say that Starbucks has done an extraordinary job with branding is an understatement.

However, the market research folks at Starbucks have discovered that there are some coffee consumers, or communities, or zip codes, or whoever, that don’t like the Big Green Sign, don’t appreciate the corporate feel of the stores, and are therefore choosing other coffee places to meet with friends, business associates, or blind dates. Sensing an opportunity to profit from this apparently new niche market, Starbucks checked out the various non-chain, popular coffee houses in the area, copied their design, and came up with this new concept.

The reaction from market analyst bloggers has been largely one of skepticism, but I have a different view. Starbucks has nothing to lose by dipping it’s toe in the water. In the best case scenerio, they’ll tap into a market segment that prefers a more subdued coffee house experience (and/or the alcoholic beverage offering), and reap the rewards. Alternatively, if the new unbranded brand falls flat, Starbucks still maintains its dependable base of loyal customers at its regular stores. In any case, I predict that the new venture will in fact be successful with the segment it is intended to serve. Furthermore, I disagree with the marketing bloggers who’ve pontificated, quite foolishly in my view, that if customers discover that the new coffee houses are owned by Starbucks, they’ll somehow become outraged, indignant, and storm out of the premises in a huff. Believe me, if the new stores provide the experience that the customers want, they’ll keep coming back.