• Ad Age , Monday, September 29, 2008 10:45 AM

Reading between the lines of last week's coverage of Wieden & Kennedy's decision to end its four-year relationship with Starbucks, it appears that the agency was frustrated by the marketer's response to its ideas. Evidently, the relationship was tense from the start, Ad Age reports, but Dan Wieden and Howard Schultz were close friends who always patched things up before they reached the breaking point. Not this time.

Much of the fault lies with the mercurial Schultz, according to Rich Silverstein, co-founder of Omnicom Group's Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. "He does not appreciate advertising," he says. "Any agency that comes in has one foot out the door already." Goodby did two stints with Starbucks.

Starbucks spokeswoman Lara Wyss said that such a view of Schultz's marketing philosophy had no merit. "Howard understands the value of the marketing mix to support the brand," she says.

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