Perk Up Afternoon Business

Pass the Cheer...that is the current Starbucks tagline and part of the company's current, and first national ad campaign. If you have seen the ads, you were probably not motivated to run out and get the entire family a beverage, but you heard the name Starbucks again and had your mind rattle with what ever you think of Starbucks.

Being a marketing fan, I no longer watch ads for the sake of buying products but to analyze the value and quality of what is being thrown at me. I am not fond of the ads, and as an AdAge article's title suggests, we can "Forget the Cute TV Critters; Starbucks Needs a Happy Hour."

The article begins by stating that "What Starbucks needs isn't an ad campaign set in fantasyland (however tastefully executed). Maybe what it needs is a real-world idea that could actually get people to buy and share more coffee: a Starbucks happy hour. ..."

I could not agree more about this. I will not go on and on about this topic as I did on my buddy Otis' blog - you can read it at www.otiskimzey.com/2007/12/12/starbucks-happy-hour - but I will give you the gist of what I said below...

I do not know what Starbucks used to be like. From what I gather though, Starbucks shops and the idea from which they started - small, Italian cafe - used to be much more simple & organic & anything but corporate. Starbucks is now the corporate giant & lacks the local coffee joint vibe, feel, & scene. Maybe a happy hour is the kick in the arse that the company needs to increase its profits, (re)gain new customers, and resurect its falling stock price. I do not think the critter friendly ad campaign and Pass the Cheer will do the job.

Get Out And Romp