Critic gives Starbucks' new TV commercials a "B+"

Lewis Lazare likes the ads because they're "carried out with a tasteful restraint that allows the message to resonate without seeming to be in your face." (Chicago Sun-Times)

Comments

i haven't seen them yet?! are they available online?

[jagger]

I haven't seen them, but going on YouTube to check, I rediscovered the Starbucks double-shot espresso drink commercials from a year or two ago. Those were really funny.

[johnmoore (from Brand Autopsy)]

As shared on my blog, the SBUX Ski Lift spot is a great ad for Caribou Coffee. The deer. The ski theme. The pastel baby blue color. All images much more linked to the Caribou Coffee brand than the Starbucks brand.

For those who haven't seen the commercial on television, you can WATCH IT ONLINE. (Starbucks has posted the Ski Lift spot on their website.)

[atownsbuxrules]

It was kinda cute, and actually more tasteful than I imagined...

"COME IN RIGHT NOW FOR AN EGGNOG LATTE! AND WHILE YOU'RE HERE, WHY NOT TRY A BREAKFAST SANDWICH?! A NEWSPAPER! CDS! WHOLE BEAN COFFEE! BEARISTA BEARS! AN OVERPRICED ESPRESSO MACHINE! JUST SAY YES! WE JUST SAY YES! YES YES YES!!!
TRIPLE VENTI? YES! HALF DECAF?! YES! 20 PUMPS OF VANILLA? YESS! YESSSSS! YEEEEEESSSSSS!" *explosion*

But then I'm sometimes very pessimistic.

[Pat Nerr]

big day I guess... the ad gets a B+, the Bean Stock option grant for 2007 hits an all-time low of 10%... and a partner goes ballistic in the SSC and mails the entire company a scathing e-mail... then gets the ol' P&AP Shuffle out the door...

Happy Holidays to you and yours.

[JT]

Commercial is pretty toothless in general. Non-offesnive, catches your eye (the first time, and ONLY the first time) because it is animated and has a reindeer in it. But will be tuned out in any subsequent viewings.

At least they are advertising coffee (Xmas/holiday blend), and not the latest latte/milkshake combo.

Related issue: I am sure you have seen grocery stores/Target sell SB coffees (the 12oz bags). Well I noticed that Walgreens is selling 12oz bags of teh "holiday" blend. $6.99 for 12oz (that is cheaper and you get more than the SB 8oz bags, which cost more).

[Debby]

I have to agree with the B+ for the new Starbucks commercial.
Happy Thanksgiving

[Northern Latte]

Instead of complaining about 10% bean stock we should be thankful our company even does this and for part time partners no less...it's a nice way to gather some extra cash over a few year span...it could be more or it could be less but it could also be non existant and then we could complain!!!!
I don't know about all of you guys but I'd much rather had my bean stock be granted in the low 20$'s rather then the high 30$'s where we may have the oportunity to make some money! Happy Thanksgiving all!

what did the scathing email say?? i didnt see it in my store??? tell mee please!!! maybe copy and paste it??

[Pat Nerr]

again... the bean stock program is outdated and a reflection of the lacking leadership to create programs to attract and retain great people. After 15 years, had I tried to cash out the last 3 years of options, I'd have owned THEM for the shares.

I've said it before, but they need to enact a performance-based (i.e. financials) profit sharing program... there are plenty of companies that do it even at the front line level.

...and yes, I may share the e-mail

[Bearista]

I had to chuckle at the "just say YES YES YES" ranter above. Sometimes I feel that way too. I had a guy who got the no water americano (Yeah, right) which is really a latte once they get to the condo bar. He also asked for a tall cold cup. At the condo bar he added milk to his americano, then poured a cup full of milk for his daughter. I asked the other partner if he had paid for that child's milk. The partner told me no. He overheard me and asked, "Did I do something wrong?" I let him know that amount of milk is a child's portion for which we charge (also, to myself, thought he must be crazy to be using condo bar milk for this sweet little baby girl -- probably about 2 1/2). Anyway he asked as if it was nothing and that he'd pay for it then he asked if we could warm it in the microwave. I told him the cup would melt because it's a convection oven too.. we can't just set the cup in there. Additionally I told him I couldn't just put the cup under the steam wand due to health code rules. He said he didn't want it steamed that she might not even like steamed milk. He suggested that we set it in a "warm bath of water" until the milk warmed appropriately.

We declined to do so.

Shortly after that, while he sat on the couch with her reading the paper for which he had no paid, she spilled the milk all over. I cleaned it up and when I threw one of the napkins into the un-lidded cold cup he sort of jumped to grab it and he said, "She hasn't even finished it yet!"

I told him I'll get her another milk in a more appropriate cup.

I got her a kid's steamed milk -- with a lid -- and she loved it.

I also hate it when they come in, order a vente frap then ask us to split it between two tall cups and add whip to each. Hello two tall fraps!

[Espresso is good]

Has anybody else read about the "Starbucks Espresso Authority" program that is being rolled out starting on December 3? From what I read, techs will be modifying the machines to pull better espresso for us. Maybe, somebody realized how sucky our espresso is!

Hey, I thought it was cute. And of course the fire had to start dying down at some point, so it's not all that suprising.

(And atownsbux rules made me lol)

Bearista~You need to chill out. Who the @#$% cares if they do that?? Just let it go and stop being so OCD about it!

[Kim]

I agree--the spots look like they're for Caribou Coffee, not Starbucks.

[Brent Emery Pieczynski]

That hard-sell-conman tell him to leave, or the police will need to come. If the police are called he will be told he can be arrested for Trespassing, then watch while things can potentially escalate.