On a trip to London this past

March, I stopped by the newly remodeled

eco-friendly Starbucks on Knightsbridge.

As I thanked the barista for my Venti

Tazo® Zen™ Green Tea, I noticed the

company logo which had undergone a

makeover. The words “Starbucks Coffee”

had been dropped entirely. Vibrant and

bold, the now green siren with no

encircling border exuded a youthful and

carefree appearance. The company’s core

values have always incorporated social

responsibility, premium quality and brand

sustainability. It’s 40th anniversary

campaign, “You & Starbucks, It’s Bigger

than Coffee” looked to solidify the bond

between company and customer.

Starbucks has produced few TV

advertisements over the years. My first

encounter with the slogan “You &

Starbucks, It’s Bigger than Coffee” was two

years prior. NBC’s November 2008 pre-

election Saturday Night Live aired a 60

second kick-off titled “If You Vote,

Starbucks Buys You Coffee”. The ad is set

on a stone background with green

lettering in Gotham font, the same font

u s e d i n O b a m a ’ s c a m p a i g n s l o g a n

“Change: We can believe in”. The letters

hurriedly move on and off the screen to

the beat of Michael Montes’ Trillium

Glance, hinting at the rushed citizen who

barely can spare a moment to vote or deal

with pressing matters. “We’ll proudly give

you a tall cup of brewed coffee” is in direct

line with the company’s commitment of

supporting local communities, and thus

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even the smallest 12 oz. cup at Starbucks is

called tall and given importance. The

target audience is primarily young adults

who the company tried to motivate and

inspire to vote by way of incentive. I doubt

that this had much of an effect on the

turnout at the voting booths; however the

turnout at Starbucks locations definitely

increased. The ad focused on social

responsibility.

On Election Day, many of those

who came for the free 12 oz. coffee may

have spent money in the store as well.

Some of these customers were new,

occasional or part of Starbucks’s loyal “fan

base”. As a brand where the product is

s e c o n d a r y a n d q u a l i t y p r i m a r y ,

advertising incentives are a great way to

expose customers to new products.

Additionally, by offering cardholders

perks such as free Wi-Fi, free flavors, free

refills and upon collecting stars a free

personalized gold card and free drinks,

customers feel a belonging to an elite club.

Some of my best High School

memories were created while studying

with my friends at the Peterson Avenue

Starbucks in Chicago. More often than

not, I would be found with a Caramel Apple

Spice in hand. Fifteen years have passed;

thankfully so has my sweet tooth.

Occasionally, after long days at the office,

my colleagues and I head down the block

to unwind at the Starbucks on 41st and

B r o a d w a y . A n d b e f o r e I o r d e r m y

customary Venti Tazo® Zen™ Green Tea, I

often think twice. Maybe this once I could

use a dose of nostalgia in a steamed cup of

freshly pressed apple juice with cinnamon

syrup and of course whipped cream and

caramel drizzle on top. There is something

about relaxation that never gets old.

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While in London, many of the

major newspapers, including The Times,

The Independent, The Guardian and The

Daily Telegraph ran a print advertisement

for the 40th anniversary campaign

depicting that exact feeling. As painted in

the scene in the ad, it is geared toward

y o u n g a d u l t s ; m a l e a n d f e m a l e

approximately ages 18-40 of mid to high

socio-economic level. Many are in

entrepreneurial, managerial, creative,

high achieving, goal orientated or

networking positions. The advertisement

takes up both sides of the centerfold and

states, “The world has a pause button.”

There are several young adults in the ad,

though we can see clearly the face of one

girl who is laughing and the bottom half of

her companion’s face who looks equally

amused. They are sitting at a wooden table

with two coffee mugs, two recyclable

coffee cups and the petite pastries that

were introduced for the 40th anniversary

celebration. The Apple products strewn on

the table: iPhone, iPod and earbuds, point

t o t h e m u s i c p a r t n e r s h i p b e t w e e n

S t a r b u c k s a n d A p p l e . T e x t b o o k s ,

notebooks, crossword puzzles and a

c a m e r a a r e a l s o s c a t t e r e d a r o u n d .

Although they may have gathered to

study, they seem determined to create

memorable moments and enjoy the

e x p e r i e n c e t o g e t h e r . T h e r e t r o

photography in the advertisement is

meant to give a cozy feeling and speak to

the loyal customers. Shades of green

exude a tranquil soothing mood of growth

and nature while blue lends for a serene

and calming effect. Warm earthy tones are

rejuvenating, nurturing and peaceful and

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there is also a romantic element with the

addition of the peach and soft red tones.

By selling the concept of coffee with

friends, Starbucks maintains its brand

sustainability as not just another cup of

coffee but a status symbol and standard of

living. “The World has a Pause Button”

might leave you thinking for a moment

about the news coming to a halt while you

imbibe this idea or how you really could

use a break from everything, step back and

grab a cup of coffee while mingling with

friends. When you take into account the

shelf life of a newspaper, this may have

been more suitable as a billboard on the

highway.

Interestingly, the theme of this

marketing campaign is what led Starbucks

to fall short in Australia. Having misread

the target market, it entered thinking that

it would succeed by selling coffee culture

and the social hub that works wonders in

America. The research that the company

had forgotten to conduct revealed that

these relaxing coffee escapes were already

in place, were far better and had tastier

coffee. Consequently, Starbucks was a

failure down under.

Consumers like to feel unique. The

ability to create one’s own drink is

something that has allowed Starbucks to

stand out from other competitors. In a

world run by the consumer, options are

what will win out in the end and the lack

thereof is what will lead to a loss of

clientele. The website and mobile app

allow one to develop endless drink

combinations while also giving nutritional

feedback. It then encourages the user to

post “his/her drink” to various social sites

such as Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare,

etc… Starbucks is renowned for mastering

viral marketing campaigns through social

networking. The following YouTube video

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titled “What’s Your Starbucks Signature”

utilizes a song called “Generator (First

Floor)” by Indie Rock band Freelance

Whales from Queens. In a joint effort with

iTunes, the song was a free download when

the advertisement went viral on the

Starbucks blog. Filmed on the Port of Long

Beach, the video first opens in a Starbucks

where the barista labels the recyclable cup

with Sue’s name and places it on the

espresso machine. The video fades into a

scene of farmers working land, then to the

boatyard and docks and then to the special

selection machines. Throughout the

process, we see all the equipment and

packaging labeled with Sue’s name. The

video highlights the fact that while the

barista is responsible for making Sue’s

drink, there are also many other people

who take part in the endeavor of making

the drink special for her. The video draws

on the commitment to Coffee and Farmer

Equity practices, principles of fair-trade

and marks the premium quality of the

brand. The lyrics in the song state “we get

up early just to start cranking the

generator … we’re finding every day

several ways that we could be friends…”

The company may subliminally be

sending out a message to its consumers

about the origins of the coffee.

The red mugs, red glasses, red

tumblers, etc. sold in stores and online, as

well as collaboration with many other

brands, have brought much renown to

Project Red’s life saving efforts in Africa.

Not everyone is aware of the C.A.F.E.

practices, the help provided to small

coffee farmers via loans through the Small

Farmer Sustainability Initiative, and the

assistance provided to access carbon

markets in coffee-growing communities

o f C h i a p a s , M e x i c o a n d S u m a t r a ,

Indonesia. Many Starbucks customers are

socially conscious and do identify with

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these same values. The video appeals to

the moral ethics and emotions of the

consumer as Starbucks encourages the

customer to feel part of its philanthropic

efforts. Now, not only is the drink special

because it was made for “Sue” but because

“Sue” supported a great social cause.

When the video closes with Sue looking

into the horizon, there is lush greenery in

front of her – the farmer is on the forefront

of her mind, yet her city and busy life is

secondary, out there in the background.

The advertisement is tasteful though I do

feel that it speaks to a narrow audience,

targeting the upper class young urban

socialites and works well in New York,

Chicago or Los Angeles. I can’t see it being

of interest in say, the Middle East.

When Starbucks saw Seattle’s Best

as a competitor it decided to buy it out. It’s

UK competitor Costa went out on an

advertising war last fall. It took out space in

the newspaper claiming, “7 out of 10 coffee

lovers preferred Costa cappuccino to

Starbucks” and posted billboards stating

“Starbucks Drinkers Prefer Costa”. By

bringing its top competitor to the

conscience of the consumer it is not only

risking losing its own customers to the

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availability of other options, it is also

reminding them of the competitor’s

existence every time they think of Costa.

This may cause its customers to find

reference to the competitor offensive or

low. It is also bringing down its own brand

by removing the differentiation factor,

thereby creating room for comparison – all

o f a s u d d e n C o s t a i s n o t b e y o n d

comparison. It also ran a TV commercial

called “Monkeys & Typewriters”, which

debuted for the first time during the soap

opera Coronation Street on ITV1. The

color scheme of green white and brown

clearly points to Starbucks (prior to the

logo change) although there is no direct

mention in name. The ad, which presents

a room full of monkeys attempting to

prepare coffee, ultimately sees the

monkeys tip over and spill everything

causing great havoc. The voice in the ad

states: “It is said that if you give a roomful

of monkeys a typewriter each, in time

t h e y ’ l l w r i t e t h e e n t i r e w o r k s o f

Shakespeare. So, if we gave the monkeys

coffee machines instead, would they come

up with the perfect cup of coffee? No.

Because great coffee isn’t born of luck. It

takes time and training to be an expert

barista. Not all coffees are created equal.”

However, instead of gaining positive

publicity, animal rights groups were

outraged after seeing the ad and knowing

that the primates had been removed from

their natural habitats for the purpose of

filming the commercial. The Rainforest

Alliance who certifies Costa’s coffee

threatened to revoke certification after

learning of the commercial and being

subjected to pressure from wildlife

conservation advocates. Costa must learn

to realize that a major downfall is focusing

negatively on others as opposed to

f o c u s i n g o n o n e ’ s o w n s t r e n g t h s .

Advertising should leave a positive taste in

the mouth and a pat on the customer’s

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back, which Starbucks has successfully

mastered.

At Heathrow Airport, I was hit with

great fatigue on my way back to New York.

I rarely drink coffee in the middle of the

day, yet I couldn’t risk falling asleep with

just an hour until takeoff. After scoping the

area, it suddenly hit me that the only

coffee vendor in reasonable proximity was

none other than Costa. With great

reluctance, I entered a suffocating, dreary

and dimly lit maroon store. I couldn’t help

but notice the deflated pastries, the

unhappy faces and the lack of life. When

the unfamiliar taste of a coffee brewed too

strongly hit my tongue, images of the

following Starbucks advertisement made

me chuckle. 3,456 miles and eight hours

later, nothing brought me more joy than

seeing the barista at JFK’s Terminal 7. It’s

not just coffee. It’s Starbucks.

[July 2011]

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