Chasing quarterly earnings growth targets undermined the Starbucks brand in three ways. First, the early adopters who valued the club-like atmosphere of relaxing over a quality cup of coffee found themselves in a minority. Starbucks increasingly appealed to grab- and-go customers for whom service meant speed of order delivery rather than recognition by, and conversation with, a barista. Many Starbucks veterans switched to more exclusive brands. Second, Starbucks introduced many new products to broaden its appeal. These new products undercut the integrity of the brand for coffee purists, and challenged the baristas who had to wrestle with an ever-more-complicated …

The pharmaceutical industry will announce today revised guidelines for marketing campaigns that will, among other things, require drug makers to set annual limits on the amounts they will pay doctors to deliver educational lectures to colleagues, although the code does not specify what the limit should be. It will also ban the pads, mugs and other gifts that drug makers have long showered on doctors. The industry's Code on Interactions with Health Care Professionals will ask the CEOs of large drug makers to certify in writing that "they have policies and procedures in place to foster compliance with the …

Starbucks is extending its sampling of summer beverages to assuage consumers and boost traffic through the season. The new round of promotions not only represents an expansion of the company's regional sampling efforts but also answers a flood of consumer requests on the company's "idea" website asking for a price break while they're feeling pinched. The promotions, which are targeted to customers who have Starbucks cards or visit the stores more than once a day, vary by region and are focused in major cities. For example, consumers in Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Indianapolis, New York, Philadelphia and Washington are getting free …

Motorola, which once commanded more than one-fifth of the global handset market, will likely end the second quarter with 8.5% share, from 9.3% in the first quarter, according to Avian Securities. Avian surveyed 100 representatives of AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel, and T-Mobile USA retail locations in June and found that Motorola phones no longer even mase it onto the list of the top 10 best-selling handsets. Motorola's ability to gain share is being hampered as rivals including Apple and Research in Motion step up their attack on the market for smart phones -- handsets that deliver e-mail, …

Apple is launching App Store, an online software emporium that will offer such programs as games, pedometers, tip calculators and language translators for the iPhone 3G, which goes on sale tomorrow. The company hopes to boost sales of the device by enabling buyers to transform the phone into a personalized electronic Swiss Army knife of sorts. "We live in a post-modern world of fragmented preferences," says Shiv Bakhshi, an analyst at research firm IDC. "The more applications out there, the more people will find the iPhone useful." The new App Store will be the only retailer of Apple-sanctioned software …

Changing hemlines have long been a hallmark of women's fashion, but this summer, it's men's hems that are rising. Brooks Brothers has raised pant hems about half an inch in its top-of-the-line Golden Fleece suits. J. Crew has been featuring models in rolled-up, ankle-baring chinos. Paul Stuart is producing suit trousers that touch the top of the shoe, rather than breaking slightly over the shoe. The wide adoption of the look reflects a new era in menswear. As the number of menswear lines and designers grows and younger men pay more attention to style, men's fashion trends are changing more …