OK, let’s get this out in the open. I like McDonald’s “McCafe” specialty coffees. Since my affinity for McCafes has become known, staff here at Hile have responded in a variety of ways, most of them uncharitable, including accusing me of being unsophisticated in my coffee tastes, or conversely, accusing me of thinking I’m “too good” for the regular brew most everyone else imbibes a couple of times a day. One staffer thinks it’s amusing to add the prefix “Mc” in front of regular words when talking to me, for example, “Monica, are you doing anything “McFun” this weekend? Very McFunny.

McDonald’s is trying to combat consumers’ preconceived ideas about their coffee by running television ads urging consumers to avoid “snobby” coffee shops and take advantage of McDonald’s. One such ad shows two guys sitting in a stereotypical coffee shop, classical music playing in the background. “We don’t have to call movies ‘films’ anymore,” says one guy when his friend tells him that McDonald’s has cappuccinos. “And we can talk about football.” “I like football,” says his friend, while peeling off his black “artsy” turtleneck. “I like sitting and watching football.”

Another development along these lines is a McDonald’s website aimed at the ultra-sophisticated coffee drinkers in the Seattle area: www.unsnobbycoffee.com. When you go to the site’s home page, there’s a button labeled, “Snobby coffee intervention. Help a friend kick their snobbish habit,” and the opportunity to play a pinball-type game called “hotshot pinball,” which is, well, fun. (I had to play a game to fully research this topic.)

The fact of the matter is that I’m a coffee wimp but not a coffee snob. I didn’t start drinking coffee until five years or so ago, when Primo Coffee House opened near my home in Ypsilanti. I like the sweet stuff, the caramel lattes and mochas (nonfat, of course, but with “whip” to make up for the lost calories) with a shot or two of espresso (never decaf) to charge my creativity in the mornings. I spend a good 4 to 6 hours a week relaxing, reading or working on my laptop at Primo, and the coffee is admittedly superior. The baristas know my name and preferred beverages, and there’s a definite sense of community. It’s not unusual for customers to greet each other by name or ask how a particular project is going.

Nonetheless, McDonald’s coffees meet a need, the way McDonald’s restaurants have their place on family road trips. A medium (grande anyplace else) iced mocha costs $2.79 plus tax, a significant cost savings. I can go through the drive-through and get one in under a minute on my way to work. Yes, I know I’m succumbing to the sedentary, I-want-it-now American lifestyle. But some days I’d rather spend my time doing other things than waiting in line for a caramel macchiato, like, um, writing copy for a client website.

How did I get started on the McCafes? A couple of summers ago, local McDonald’s franchises gave out McCafe iced mochas on Wednesdays all summer long! So, not only did I get the coffee I liked fast, I got it free. This really all boils down to marketing, which is what we at Hile think about on a regular basis. I am part of the McDonald’s target market—and I’m not ashamed to admit that their marketing worked on me.

You can scorn me all you want for my taste for McCafes. I will continue to enjoy them regularly. And you know what? They taste great with McDonald’s salty fries.