McDonalds prepares to walk the runway at Fashion Week and Starbucks announces its venture into something it vowed it would “never do.”

McCafe is ready to strut its stuff on the catwalk. The coffee will get attention from an unlikely bunch beginning this Friday when it becomes the official coffee of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York.

“Fashion Week is a great opportunity to give us a national stage to talk to key influencers and trendsetters,” said Sofia Therios, director of marketing for McDonald’s USA and the lead official on the McCafé business. “Tasting is believing. We’ll be able to get our product into the mouths of all these people.”

McDonald’s aim is not to force-feed cappuccino to supermodels who otherwise probably wouldn’t sample anything the Golden Arches makes, but to attract trend-setting women who thrive on caffeine. The brand will set up shop inside Fashion Week’s main tent in Bryant Park and offer drip coffees and free espresso drinks all week long.

Don’t worry, fashion-conscious guys, McCafe won’t just be courting women. McDonald’s has also agreed to sponsor menswear line Duckie Brown. The beverages will be available backstage during Duckie Brown’s show and label designer Steven Cox will talk about his experience working at McDonald’s.

Don’t call it a come back

USA Today reported yesterday morning that Starbucks has officially unveiled its new don’t-call-it-a-value-menu breakfast campaign. The new menu will feature “breakfast pairings” like a latte and coffeecake or breakfast sandwich and drip coffee, each for less than $4.00. Customers can choose from four hot sandwiches and a tall coffee or a cinnamon swirl coffeecake or oatmeal with a tall latte. The effort will hit stores March 3 as part of the brand’s “Hello to a New Day” marketing campaign.

CEO Howard Schultz hinted at the new breakfast pairings — something he long ago vowed he would never do — last week in a meeting with company investors. Starbucks has become a recent go-to example of American companies struggling to stay afloat in the midst of the recession. More price cuts are expected as the brand seeks ways to stay relevant and avoid the layoffs and store closures that marred 2008 for them.

“The most important definition of value is the one our customers have,” says Terry Davenport, marketing chief at Starbucks. “In this environment, it’s about everyday affordability.”

On the other hand, if you want to read a fascinating article about the sneaky way Starbucks uses fancy-sounding words to separate unwitting coffee drinkers from their hard-earned cash, check out this article from the Oneonta, New York, Daily Star’s Teen Talk section. Written by a high school student (and, hopefully, future economics genius), the article explains how Starbucks uses behavioral memory to make customers believe they’re getting a good deal.

The theory is that if you can’t remember paying $4.00 for a latte anywhere else, chances are you won’t mind paying it at Starbucks. At least now you’ll get breakfast with that money too.

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