Laura Ries sums up Starbucks' latest moves succinctly:

The piece de resistance of the Schultz master plan was the brilliant three-hour closing of all 7,100 U.S. stores on Tuesday for barista reeducation of all 135,000 employees. It was a public testament to of Starbucks’ renewed focus on coffee and quality.

Was it necessary to close every store on the same day at the same time to educate workers? Certainly, not. Was it a brilliant PR move? Absolutely.

Exactly - what it told Starbucks customers is simple: we care about the coffee you're ordering. A lot of companies could learn a lesson from this. Simply put, ask yourself this: What are we known for (meaning, what brings people to our brand)? Now, look at your public presence (web site, store fronts, what have you) - does invite people based on the answer to that question? If not, you have a problem.

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