People will never pay for water...

Continuing its steps toward global domination a la the Sons of Sam. Starbucks recently purchased Ethos Water, a smaller bottled water company with a public committment to improving water delivery systems in less developed countries around the world.

This continues Starbucks expansion from simple coffee merchant to marketing giant. They appear to be working on becoming a major player and taste maker in the media field as well with the recent exclusive CD releases for Bob Dylan and Alanis Morissete. And here they step into an already crowded bottled water market with a product that - with the backing of Starbucks - will likely be a major player very quickly.

I kind of dig Starbucks as a store. I'm not a coffee guy, but my wife worked at 'Bucks-Bucks for a few years (full benefits with twenty hours of work), so I've seen some of the corporate side of things. They've done an amazing job of keeping their brand strong through massive expansion both in stores and in brand identity without showing the brand dilution typical of such explosive growth. Their image as a deliverer of affordable affluence - show off your money for $40K by buying a Lexus or for $5 with a Starbucks-branded latte - is among the most pure and clearly defined of any restaurant in the world. They're incredible, and from all apearances of what I've read, they haven't abandoned their corporate good citizen stance in giving back to environments that they mine for their products. They've also done a great job creating a third space for customers to feel comfortable in. It's a powerful combination...

And the food's good, too...