Culture, Coffee, CX, and Cringe

This weekend, I happened upon an opinion piece by Joy Saha at Salon titled, Hipster coffee enthusiasts have taken the joy out of coffee, and let me tell you, it got me thinking.

Let me start by saying that I'm keenly aware of the clickbaity nature of this article, but for all its flaws, it really got me thinking about some important things that I wanted to share.

The author begins the article extolling the virtues of the first sip of coffee at a local coffee shop, and then says, "That, however, has been tainted by hipster cafes: swanky spots with fancy barista gadgets, beans sourced from an array of exclusive locations (like coffee excreted from civet cats found on the islands of Bali!), and a menu that’s shorter than my weekly grocery list."

I don't consider myself a hipster, but many years ago, I stopped adding sugar, cream, and flavored creamer to my daily cups of coffee in a successful effort to lose some weight.? Once you stop masking the flavor of your coffee with these things, the bean (including where it's grown), the roast, the grind, and the brewing method all have an outsized impact on flavor.? You don't need to be a hipster to recognize that.? Sure, Kopi luwak (aka civet coffee) is more gimmick than anything else, but it's been around for over 100 years.

Then she decides to really double down.? "Hipster cafes — which is basically a euphemism for high-end, overpriced coffee shops — have long existed as an extension of so-called “coffee culture.” The fact that the term “culture” is even associated with coffee is pretty cringe. But so are the folks who wholeheartedly embrace it."

Yikes! Now we really get into it.? Culture.? The author thinks coffee culture is "cringe."? I'd like you to take a moment and replace the word coffee with any interest that people develop a culture around - you probably engage with a few cultures of your own.

There are cultures and subcultures for just about anything.? Those cultures are filled with people who dig deeper than the average person.? They enjoy things on the fringes of mainstream society.? In fact, most of us engage with something that is less than mainstream.? Cultures and subcultures exist for all manner of entertainment and hobbies - sports, anime, comic books, music, food, beer, wine, etc. Heck, Reddit is essentially built on this idea. A couple of examples come to mind.

Punk music isn't for everyone, but as my friends David Powers and Adrian Swinscoe would attest to, the culture around it can drive innovative thought processes that can push people in new directions.?

I'm also reminded of the Netflix series Fastest Car which pit "Built vs. Bought" cars in a quarter mile drag race.? Everyone on that show was into "car culture" but their subcultures were quite different.? As my friend, David Allison would tell you, it's because they value different things.?

I say all of this to bring things back to customer experience.?? Seth Godin introduced me to the idea of the Smallest Viable Audience as a customer "segment that you’ve chosen to delight. To delight so much that they’ll return and perhaps spread the word."? Joy, you're not the audience for the hipster cafes.? And that's okay.? There's a Starbucks near you, I'm sure.? But this illustrates how CX isn't a one-size fits all exercise.? Those hipsters don't want the Starbucks experience.? Joy does.? When we create the customer experience for our brand, we need to know who our audience is, what they value, and how to become part of their culture.?

Joy ends her piece with, "Earlier this week marked National Peppermint Latte Day. So to celebrate, let's just allow people to enjoy their coffee how they please. There's no shame in enjoying a cup of coffee filled with all the sugary toppings your heart desires. There's only shame in judging."

For a piece that began by judging coffee culture as cringe, that's a pretty bold conclusion.?? Despite that, I have to agree with the conclusion.? Let's allow people to enjoy their [insert whatever you love here] how they please.? And let's make customer experiences that delight our audiences!