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STARBUCKS  

STARBUCKS  ADVERTISING  

“It’s  Not  Just  Coffee.  It’s  Starbucks,”  is  the  current  tagline  for  Starbuck’s  campaign.  

Starbucks  has  only  been  around  since  1971,  but  has  carried  the  title  of  “largest  coffeehouse  

in  the  world”  for  many  years.  Everyday,  millions  of  Americans  purchase  Starbucks  coffee  to  

and  from  work  because  of  convenience,  high-­‐end  quality,  and  brand.  However,  Starbucks  

did  not  engage  in  a  mass  marketing  campaign  to  build  their  brand.  Instead,  they  capitalized  

on  creating  personal  relationships  with  customers  to  ensure  that  patrons  will  feel  the  need  

to  come  back.  Naomi  Klein’s  “No  Logo,”  discusses  the  branding  phenomenon  of  Starbucks  

and  how  it  became  a  “superbrand”  as  well  as  a  lifestyle.    

Starbucks  is  a  conjured  up  to  be  “A  comforting  third  place”  It’s  not  a  workplace,  and  

not  home  either.  Starbucks  has  created  a  place  where  people  can  network,  relax,  and  enjoy  

the  simple  pleasures  of  a  cup  of  coffee.  The  employees  or  “baristas”  are  trained  to  deliver  

superior  service.  Their  comforting  yet  modern  atmosphere,  in  addition  to  high  quality  

coffee  and  superior  customer  service,  generate  a  distinguished  nook  that  distinguishes  

Starbucks  from  other  coffee  vendors.  This  “Starbucks  Experience”  is  one  of  the  main  

reasons  why  Starbucks  because  such  a  hit  this  century.  As  Naomi  Klein  describes,  “The  

Starbucks  Model”  highlights  that  fact  that  Starbucks  is  a  place  of  

“coffee…community…camaraderie…connection.”  

Starbucks  marketing  tactics  is  not  to  launch  a  mass  marketing  campaign.  Instead,  

they  took  the  more  personal  approach.  Big  multi-­‐million  dollar  companies  like  Nike  will  

spend  up  to  11%  of  their  sales  revenue  on  advertising,  but  Starbucks  only  spends  about  

1.4%  of  their  sales  revenue  on  advertising.  They  touched  every  customer  with  “one  coffee  

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at  a  time.”  Also,  a  major  marketing  tactic  that  Starbucks  engages  in  is  the  locations  of  their  

venues.  They  dropped  clusters  of  Starbucks  in  populous  urban  areas,  even  if  it  already  has  

cafes  and  espresso  bars.  They  are  willing  to  saturate  an  area  with  Starbucks  outlets,  even  if  

it  causes  drops  in  individual  sales.  Starbucks  has  established  branches  in  places  that  have  

high  traffic  even  if  it  means  higher  rent  and  more  competition.  This  marketing  strategy  of  

high  visibility  and  presence  allows  Starbucks  to  get  its  name  out.  Starbucks  started  with  

just  one  store  location  in  1971,  and  grew  to  about  275  outlets  20  years  later.  Now,  there  

are  about  15,750  stores  in  44  different  countries.  Not  only  does  Starbucks  have  a  common  

presence  in  the  United  States,  but  also  in  other  countries.  Starting  from  the  beginning  of  

1920s,  Starbucks  has  embarked  on  its  plan  for  globalization;  a  very  profitable  area  for  

branding  and  expansion.  For  example,  in  China,  Chinese  people  tend  to  like  Western  

culture.  Because  of  this  Chinese’s  mentality  of  “wanting  to  be  Westernized,”  many  areas  

have  adopted  the  ‘Starbucks  phase,”  resulting  in  a  titantic  rise  of  Starbucks  in  the  Asia  

continent.  This  massive  globalization  tactic  has  brought  more  media  and  attention  to  the  

company  -­‐-­‐  another  big  advertising  tactic.  

Product  placement  is  also  another  one  of  Starbuck’s  marketing  strategies.  Starbucks  

products  can  be  seen  on  television  shows,  such  as  “West  Wing”,  and  movies  like  “Devil  

Wears  Prada.”  In  our  previous  readings,  this  effective  strategy  of  product  placement  makes  

the  consumer  associate  a  particular  product  with  an  emotional  tie  that  is  created  with  that  

movie.  For  example  in  “Devil  Wears  Prada,”  Meryl  Streep’s  character,  Miranda  Priestly,  

Editor  in  Chief  of  a  popular  fashion  magazine,  always  orders  Starbucks.  Aspiring  

fashionistas  will  want  to  emulate  this  sensation  and  so  they  will  buy  Starbucks  products.  By  

buying  a  product,  it  will  bring  them  closer  to  someone  they  desire  to  be.  This  is  a  form  of  

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subliminal  messaging.  Indirectly,  Starbucks  is  advertised  in  the  movie  even  though  that  is  

not  the  main  message  of  the  movie.  Starbucks  has  successfully  adopted  the  method  of  

product  placement  to  advertise  their  products.    

Another  smart  move  that  Starbucks  established  early  on  was  their  alliance  with  

Barnes  and  Nobles.  Barnes  and  Nobles  wanted  a  café  to  allow  customers  to  enhance  their  

book  browsing  experience.  Barnes  and  Noble  and  Starbucks  both  emphasize  their  superior  

atmosphere  and  customer  service,  thus  Barnes  and  Noble  and  Starbucks  seemed  like  a  

natural  pairing.  Many  Barnes  and  Nobles  now  have  a  Starbucks  café  area  that  features  

comfortable  seating,  classy  music,  aesthetically  pleasing  décor,  electrical  outlets  and  some  

even  have  wireless  access.  Not  only  has  this  partnership  boosted  sales  for  Starbucks,  but  

Barnes  and  Nobles  as  well.    

STARBUCKS  PRINT  ADS  

                                                                                               

This  ad  emphasizes  perfection.  If  your  coffee  isn’t  done  right,  then  Starbucks  will  do  it  over.  

It  also  specifically  caters  to  individuals.  Starbucks  is  willing  to  create  your  own  coffe  to  

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your  liking.  Additionally,  the  last  line  is  essentially  saying  that  if  the  coffee  is  ntot  perfect  

then,  the  customer  is  at  another  coffee  place.  In  other  words,  Starbucks  is  perfect.  

 

There  has  been  a  lot  of  controversy  with  the  prince  of  Starbucks  coffee.  This  ad  fights  back  

at  the  high  price  that  customers  complain  about.  The  price  you  pay  is  for  Starbucks  quality  

coffee.  

   

 

Starbucks  is  showing  their  gratitude  for  their  customers  and  also  flaunting  their  reputation  

in  the  coffee  industry.    

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MY  PRINT  AD  OVERVIEW  

 

By  creating  emotional  ties  and  brand  loyalty,  consumers  have  stayed  with  Starbucks  

for  many  years.  In  recent  campaigns,  Starbucks  is  emphasizing  on  the  “perfect”  coffee  

created  just  for  every  individual.  Essentially,  it  is  personalized  to  perfection.  I  wanted  to  

create  a  print  advertisement  that  takes  a  different  route  from  their  traditional  campaign  

scheme.  Starbucks  has  established  many  branches  and  thus  there  is  a  Starbucks  virtually  

ever  5  mile  radius.  It  is  hard  to  escape  the  prevalence  of  Starbucks.  I  want  to  take  

advantage  of  this  aspect.  Thus,  this  print  advertisement  shows  a  staircase  labyrinth.  Each  

staircase  leads  to  another  Starbucks  no  matter  which  one  you  take.  Also,  the  tagline,  “It’s  

not  just  anywhere.  It’s  Everywhere,”  plays  on  their  tag  line  “It’s  not  just  coffee.  It’s  

Starbucks.”  This  version  of  a  parody  will  attract  consumers  because  its  complicated  nature  

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is  something  different  from  the  norm.  Starbucks  ads  are  normally  a  plain  statement  that  is  

direct  and  to  the  point.  The  plethora  of  staircases  suggests  that  no  matter  what  path  you  

take,  Starbucks  will  be  part  of  your  journey  to  your  destination,  it  is  hard  to  avoid.  My  print  

advertisement  overall  does  not  follow  the  classicism  style  of  simplicity,  symmetry,  or  order.  

I  took  on  a  more  post  modern,  surreal  method.  

ANALYSIS  

This  print  ad  creates  a  sense  of  surrealism.    This  visual  features  an  element  of  

surprise.  Stairs  are  obviously  not  made  that  way.  With  an  intricate  set  of  staircases,  paired  

with  many  Starbucks  venues  everywhere  suggests  a  startling  sensation.  Which  is  grab  the  

attention  of  viewers.  The  print  ad  can  also  be  categorized  as  a  representation  of  an  abstract  

concept—the  thought  that  Starbucks  is  everywhere.  It  is  a  stretch  of  the  truth,  nonetheless,  

it  still  carries  the  iconic  message.  Through  distortion  of  concrete  visual  images  of  

complicated  staircases,  it  bears  an  analogy  with  the  concept  of  Starbuck’s  ubiquitous  

presence.    

The  print  ad  is  also  full  of  sharp  angles  from  the  staircases  and  Starbucks  venues,  

which  suggests  high  potency  and  high  activity.  These  implications  will  further  imply  a  

sense  of  urgency  to  stop  and  look  at  the  print  ad.    

I  also  included  some  usage  of  subliminal  advertising,  more  specifically,  embeds.  In  

the  dark  areas,  I  have  put  the  words  “Coffee,  coffee…”  or  “Coffee  <3”  Studies  have  not  

proven  whether  subliminal  messaging  is  effective  or  not,  but  to  a  degree,  I  believe  it  does.  

The  main  purpose  of  my  usage  of  subliminal  embeds  is  so  that  the  viewer  will  associate  

‘coffee’  with  ‘Starbucks.’  This  type  of  conditioning  leads  consumers  to  think  ‘Starbucks’  

whenever  they  are  in  need  of  coffee.    

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I  also  adopted  a  soft  sell  strategy  of  using  an  image  paired  with  a  witty  tagline  in  my  

advertisement.  This  technique  is  more  toned  down  and  not  as  direct  as  hard  sell.  The  

concept  is  for  potential  buyers  to  see  the  metaphorical  interpretation  that  I  have  used  to  

associate  Starbucks’  presence  when  coffee  choosing.  I  do  not  direct  explicitly  say  that  

Starbucks  is  everywhere;  instead  it  is  depicted  in  the  image.  An  attention-­‐grabbing  image  

coupled  with  a  witty  tagline  will  appeal  to  many  consumers.    

MESSAGE  

The  main  message  of  my  print  advertisement  is  that  Starbucks  is  everywhere.  

Despite  recent  news  of  many  Starbucks  closing,  there  are  still  many  venues  still  in  business.  

The  ubiquitous  quality  of  Starbucks  in  this  ad  also  implies  that  since  Starbucks  is  

everywhere,  it  is  also  very  convenient  for  coffee  consumers  to  grab  Starbucks  whenever.  

Instead  of  focusing  on  the  current  campaign  of  consumer  praise  and  pride  on  Starbuck’s  

reputation,  I  took  the  route  of  emphasizing  the  ubiquitous  nature  of  Starbucks  and  how  it  

can  be  convenient  for  consumers.  I  believe  that  this  selling  point  is  often  overlooked.  By  

capitalizing  on  this  aspect,  consumers  will  further  utilize  Starbuck’s  omnipresence  to  their  

advantage.    

CONCLUSION  

Starbucks  has  only  been  around  for  38  years,  but  has  an  aura  of  being  a  superior  

brand  with  a  great  international  influence.  Since  its  opening  in  1971,  it  has  expanded  its  

products  to  more  than  just  coffee.  Drinking  coffee  at  Starbucks  has  become  a  culture  trend.  

As  Naomi  Klein  describes,  Starbucks  is  a  third  community,  which  brings  relationships  

together.  Their  campaign  in  the  current  market  is  directed  to  individual  consumers,  

flaunting  their  reputation  and  high  quality  coffee.  However,  I  wanted  to  take  on  another  

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outlook  to  their  impact  in  society—their  omnipresent  nature.  Therefore,  I  have  created  a  

print  advertisement  that  emphasizes  on  a  concept  that  they  have  not  yet  tapped  into.  In  

New  York  City,  Starbucks  is  just  about  on  every  other  block,  thus  purchasing  Starbucks  

products  is  just  about  a  5-­‐minute  walk  from  anywhere.  This  is  a  major  selling  point  of  

Starbucks  and  I  believe  that  the  company  should  pay  more  attention  to  this  aspect.  The  ad  

contains  a  complex  and  distorted  set  of  staircases,  which  will  grab  the  attention  of  patrons,  

since  it  strays  from  the  norm.  The  message  that  lies  within  the  ad  is  that  whichever  

staircase  you  choose,  a  Starbucks  is  always  there.  Convenience  is  a  major  selling  point.  

With  all  these  factors  taken  into  consideration,  Starbucks  has  become  a  mainstream  

phenomenon  without  launching  a  massive  marketing  campaign.  Its  locations,  quality  

coffee,  corporate  values,  and  superior  customer  service  has  brought  them  a  long  way,  

creating  what  Starbucks  is  today.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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BIBLIOGRAPHY  

"Brandchannel.com  |  Starbucks  Brand  |  Retail  Beverages|  brands  |  brand  |  branding  

news."  Brandchannel.com  |  branding  resource  produced  by  Interbrand  |  

brands.  22  June  2009  

<http://www.brandchannel.com/features_effect.asp?id=78>.  

Klein,  Naomi.  No  Logo  No  Space,  No  Choice,  No  Jobs.  New  york:  Picador,  2002.  

Messaris,  Paul.  Visual  Persuasion:  The  Role  of  Images  in  Advertising.  1st  ed.  

Thousand  Oaks,  CA:  Sage  Publications,  Inc,  1996.