Starbucks Shrugs Off Big Mac Attack

So far Starbucks isn't giving two beans about rival efforts to keep the coffee wars piping hot, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports. The latest not-so-subtle salvo—a McDonald's espresso billboard declaring "Four Bucks is Dumb" erected within sight of Starbucks' Seattle headquarters—has yet to meet a response, and execs hint they intend to take the high road.

"We're not going to get sucked into the 'my-coffee-is-better-than-yours' type of coffee conversation," Starbucks' chief marketing officer told investors last week. "We're going to play at a much higher level." Analysts expect attack ads to keep coming as the economy slumps, but believe Starbucks will carry on with its current campaign of selected ads promoting social responsibility. (More McDonald's stories.)