Starbuck Advertising

I don’t if anybody else out there has noticed, but Starbucks has begun taking out full page ads in the Sunday New York Times. Admittedly, I’m not one to comb the different media channels looking for SBUX advertisements, but I have to say that I was a bit shocked to see such in-your-face advertising coming from a company who’s advertising budget has traditionally been spent in the store (or masked in barista training to help ensure that the ‘third place from home’ customer experience was always prevalent). Maybe this has been going on for awhile and I’m just now noticing. Either way, it’s interesting to see SBUX trying to regain the brand essence it once guarded so tightly.

In addition to the picture of a recyclabe Grande coffee cup, the following words appear on the ad:

“We believe that our baristas can hand-make any espresso beverage perfectly. With over 87,000 possible combinations, that’s a lot of perfection. This is why we promise that if your drink isn’t perfect, every time, let us know and we’ll make it right. This isn’t a promotion, this isn’t ‘for a limited time only,’ this isn’t ‘while supplies last.’ This is every coffee, every day, forever.

Looks like SBUX is trying to reposition themselves as incredibly customer-focused, with the ability to make a perfect coffee drink all the time. This positioning is much different than the ‘third place from home’ positioning and overall in-store experience that SBUX once built their brand on. Granted, getting the right cup of coffee, everytime, is certainly part of that experience, but the ad makes me wonder if they’ll ever be able to regain the essence of the ‘original’ brand. Seems to me that they should put the focus back on what they once were….warm, inviting, personal and friendly….versus spending a bunch of $$$ on trying to change perceptions through advertising.

John Lusk
VP, Marketing