Postcards

Starbucks Via: What's the secret?

Hey, Starbucks lovers--and critics too! Have you taken the Starbucks Via Taste Challenge? The drip vs. instant coffee faceoff began this morning in Starbucks (SBUX) stores across North America.

If you want to know the science (it involves micro-grinding) behind Starbucks' new instant, check out this story today by my Fortune tech-writer colleague Michael Copeland. He talked with Andrew Linnemann, Starbucks' director of green coffee quality and operations, whose mission MORE

PepsiCo CEO Nooyi on "the age of thrift"

by Jessica Shambora

The 2009 Fortune Most Powerful Women in Business list is out today. You can find the 50 women, ranked in order, here.

Topping our charts: Pepsico (PEP) chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi. She's been No. 1 in our rankings every year since 2006, when she ascended to the top job.

Last week, Nooyi sat down with Pattie and talked about leading a $43 billion global corporation in the "age MORE

What are women's favorite brands?

Our post, "Why CEOs should do housework," drew a bunch of interesting comments, including one from Dr. LPC in Canterbury, England, who cites research showing that "couples where husbands contribute to housework are also more likely to have additional children." Dr. LPC surmises that this "must result from all that additional sex they get…"

Whatever.

That August 11 Postcard was about a new book, due out next month, called Women Want More, MORE

Home Depot CFO's turnaround tips

Home Depot (HD) hammered it home this morning--earnings beat expectations, and the stock is up 3%, to just under $27. Nice surprise after Lowe's (LOW) disappointed yesterday. The No. 2 home-improvement retailer reported a 19% profit dip in its second quarter and, even more worrisome to investors, a 9.5% decline in same-store sales.

So what is Home Depot, the market leader, doing right? The new Fortune, hitting newsstands this week, delivers MORE

Female consumers' optimism index

The female economy is on my mind. That's the subject of an upcoming book, Women Want More, that I told you about in yesterday's post, "Why CEOs should do housework."

A survey of 12,000 female consumers, by the Boston Consulting Group, was conducted to research the book by BCG marketing expert Michael Silverstein--as I was telling Tory Burch and our dinner companions last evening. The female economy is of interest to MORE

Advice for Starbucks, from readers

Tuesday's Guest Post by Starbucks barista Sun Min Kimes jolted Postcards readers like a pot of extra bold Joe. We got over 50 comments--the most comments, as well as the most traffic, of any Guest Post we've run except for "The Great Depression, as I remember" by Walt Stoiber.

She struck a chord. As one reader, Oliver in Chicago, said, "Move this person to the Executive suite ASAP!"

Thank you for the MORE

Guest Post: Advice to Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz

Starbucks (SBUX) is one of our favorite topics on Postcards. We're in the stores everyday. We vigilantly watch CEO Howard Schultz's efforts to slash costs, revive the brand, treat employees respectfully, satisfy investors, and fight incursions by very aggressive McDonald's (MCD) and Dunkin' Donuts. Today's Wall Street Journal has an interesting story about Starbucks' latest efficiency efforts--which could compromise the brand "romance," which Schultz has long said distinguishes Starbucks, and MORE

Netflix CEO focuses on the future

Reed Hastings, the founder and CEO of Netflix, came by our Fortune offices yesterday. He's one of the most likeable CEOs you'll meet. Bowdoin grad like my boss, Andy Serwer. Post-college, Hastings joined the Peace Corps and taught school in Swaziland, He eventually landed back in Silicon Valley, WHERE HE GREW UP, started a couple of tech companies, and eventually struck gold with his movies-by-mail idea that resolved the hassle MORE

David Ogilvy's best advice for business

by Patricia Sellers

David Ogilvy, arguably the most influential advertising man in history, died 10 years ago today.

Measured by his creativity, Ogilvy was most famous for the man in the Hathaway shirt, his pitch for Rolls Royce ("At 60 mph, the loudest noise in this Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock"), and his clever insight to market Dove soap as 1/4 cleansing cream.

But beyond the ads, this elegant and eclectic Brit pioneered MORE

What is Microsoft? CEO Ballmer seeks an answer

Google (GOOG) is barging into the business of computer operating systems—via Chrome, due next year. Microsoft (MSFT) is vigorously defending its turf--via Windows 7, its new operating system due in October. Simultaneously, Microsoft is striking at the heart of Google, via Bing. "We should have been earlier in search," said CEO Steve Ballmer two weeks ago in France when asked to name his greatest regrets over the years.

We may be MORE