Last month there were a flurry of articles and blog postings based off a question posed by a Starbucks employee about the ethics of making ghetto-lattes. A Ghetto Latte is simply a drink where a customer adds their own milk to a coffee using the condiment bar instead of paying more for a fancy drink that has milk in it on the menu. The whole ethical discussion that has stemmed from this discovery has been fairly ridiculous, with even an ethics professor weighing in, saying that heavy milk pourers may be “opportunistic, taking advantage.”

So where is the moral boundary for using condiments? What imaginary line in the sand is a point where you have poured too much milk and are taking advantage of the corporate giant of Starbucks? The Chicago Tribune mentions other ethical decisions that may spark debate including:

• using your neighbor’s wi-fi
• taking all the toiletries from the hotel room
• taking office supplies from your office
• taking a handful of mints from a restaurant upon leaving

All of those items could lead to hours of debate in some ethics classroom, but really, what is fascinating to me is that there has been an apparent rise of “Ghetto Lattes” throughout all the Starbucks stores since the story broke, and even more importantly, Starbucks has declared that these home-grown drinks are fine by them, stating in a release, “Customization is a fundamental attribute of the Starbucks Experience.” Excellent point. Customers enjoy the idea of personalizing their retail experience, not only at Starbucks, but even at places like In-N-Out Burger where customers “in the know” can order from a secret menu. This stems from our desire to have uniqueness and individuality, even when we are interacting with a multi-national, billion-dollar corporation. Good brands know that, and will allow people to create pockets of unique identity even within the massive homogeneous structures of efficiency. It would even be mildly amusing if Starbucks simply put the “Ghetto Latte” on their drinks menu.

The point is that different customers seek out different experiences from large retail outfits, and the retailers not only need to acknowledge the need for those different experiences, but also embrace their diverse customer base. Some customers want to create a unique drink on their own, because they have more power over their experience, and others may be fine ordering drinks straight off the menu. Either way, you should be able to do what you want.
The notion of customization goes beyond the coffee bar, and extends to how customers interact with brands in general. Brands need to realize that they cannot police or control their brands the way they could have 5 or 10 years ago, but instead they must allow customers to customize their experience with the brand in a way that is unique to them. Starbucks has always been on the cutting edge of managing their brand identity, and knows that if some people want to use more milk in their coffee to make a Ghetto Latte, by all means, let them drink the milk.

Seth Godin recently discussed Ponzi and Pyramid schemes and how they are used in an online setting. While Ponzi schemes are certainly rife both in the online and offline worlds, they are distinct from Pyramid schemes which are more in the line of MLM (a la Tupperware parties). He points out the self-proclaimed “Advertising 2.0″ company MMMZR which embraces an MLM approach of marketing as part of their revenue model, leaving many people feeling that it is a distasteful approach to online advertising.

One interesting point Seth makes is in regards to pyramid schemes, specifically when it may not have to do with the exchange of money, or if money is exchanged, it is almost a side benefit. He notes that sites like Digg have an element of a pyramid scheme built into the very core of the site’s design. Meaning that some Digg uses can abuse the system in a way to promote themselves, their clients, or issues. And while word of mouth can be used in a manipulative way, could there be an invisible hand that self-regulates these social tools due to our desire to embrace authenticity, while eschewing motives that seem like scams?

(Bacon martini, originally uploaded by &y.)

This is a beautiful example of how bacon should not only used, but cherished. I found this photo while searching for bacon recipes, as I am preparing for a month-long exploration of pork eating. (photo by Andy Smull)

Suddenly Mr. T seems to be popping up everywhere I turn. First, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners recently created a Culture Fool campaign for Comcast starring the brawny mohawked man. Next, Joshua Davis at FITC mentions that he had the pleasure of being on the same plane with Mr. T to Los Angeles (tho Mr. T was in first class, and Joshua wasn’t). Then, this morning I get an email from “TV Land Insider” inviting me to send a Mr. T-mail. The instructions on how to send an email to are humorously overzealous if you have ever used the “send to a friend” function on a site. All this to promote Mr. T’s new reality tv show, I Pity the Fool, where Mr. T will go “into the real world to dispense advice, motivate procrastinators and rev up slackers.” Well, at least Mr. T is maximizing his comeback.