Comments on: Starbucks Marketing Stunt: We Give It a Thumbs Up

By: Tim Jackson- Masi Guy

Tim Jackson- Masi Guy — Thu, 08 Dec 2005 17:54:00 +0000

I think they nailed it on this one. How very, very clever… as a bunch of people are likely mumbling- I only wish I’d thought of it first.

Adding the coupon for a free coffee just seals the deal. They are likely able to convert non-Starbucks drinkers into advocates.

How this could be a bad thing is beyond me.

By: SB

SB — Thu, 08 Dec 2005 14:42:00 +0000

Piers, what I like about it is that whoever has a Thomas Hawk experience will inevitably tell the story to — oh — EVERYONE they know.

And, as I recall, the Starbucks brand mantra is “rewarding everyday moments.”

Getting a fun story to tell your friends and a coupon for free coffee to boot — sounds like a “rewarding everyday moment” to me…

By: Piers Fawkes

Piers Fawkes — Thu, 08 Dec 2005 04:48:00 +0000

It’s an appalling piece of marketing. Here’s why:

a) Does an omnipresent brand like Starbucks need to conduct the sort of stunt that is more apt for a new brand.
b) It makes me think of what the guys on the American Copywriter podcast said about the payoff: there isn’t any here. Starbucks created a situation, made someone feel a fool and then… erm, they wished them Happy Holidays. Is that really a ‘pay off’ or just a bad marketing idea?
c) Someone convince me that this campaign falls inside the Starbucks brand guidelines.