Monday, March 19, 2007

Well Brewed


Quick, describe your favorite Starbucks TV commercial? Go ahead, I'll wait...

Of course, Starbucks doesn't run TV commercials. Hardly any radio either. And they've made a fair number of marketing mistakes in recent months in their quest for ubiquity. They're rushing towards losing their soul, and no less than their CEO is concerned about it.

But I've got to give them props for a guerilla marketing campaign they did around Christmas. They made fake Starbucks holiday cups that were actually giant magnets, and team members drove around with them on the roof of their cars. If you rushed over to warn them, they thanked you and gave you a coupon for a free cup of coffee.

Starbucks brand is experiential and their marketing is about being good for the community. It's all about being nice people, and local. This campaign fit that beautifully, in addition to being a very clever new idea. And inexpensive. Nice work.