This screenshot of Starbucks’ new online brand campaign depicts their central message “When we get together.”
When it has come to their marketing campaigns, Starbucks has always focused on the intense variety and quality of their products. However, utilizing their first-ever brand campaign online, Starbucks is shifting their marketing efforts to their in-café atmosphere.
Starbuck’s new marketing campaign has taken the web by storm. As what they describe as their first ever “global marketing campaign,” Starbucks launched a one minute video on YouTube stressing the importance of meeting in person. The video ends with the phrase “Good things happen when we get together.
Starbucks is now attempting to position itself differently in the market than they ever have before. Until now, Starbucks has been a stop for coffee and a place for people to concentrate on work. It has been a place to focus alone on your laptop or read with headphones. However, given the vast amount of socializing that now occurs at Starbucks, the coffee chain is capitalizing on the hangout aspect of their locations.
This new campaign has two new major appeals that Starbucks is looking to benefit from:
Starbucks is a place to escape from social media, and actually get together
This appeal is attempting to reach out to the tech savvy contingent of Starbucks customers. Rather than just chat with people online, or focus on one’s own work, Starbucks wants to be a place for these customers to actually meet. Starbucks’ hope is that the younger generation of consumers that enjoy both Starbucks and technology will start utilizing the coffee chain to gather in groups instead of hanging out online
Starbucks is community-building location
The reputation of Starbucks over the years has been a coffee stop to potentially have a conversation with a friend or just pick up a coffee. This video showcases people from all over the world using Starbucks as a place to build relationships. This new aspect is encouraging people of all ages to use Starbucks not for the coffee, but for the potential human experience.
Launching their first ever brand campaign, Starbucks in breaking ground by reaching numerous cultures. The video was filmed in 28 different countries, which clearly shows that Starbucks is attempting to reach every market globally they can.
By creating their first ever video online, Starbucks has set themselves up for instant success with this marketing campaign. Social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and Reddit have already blown up about the ad given the scarcity of Starbucks’ online presence. Even though they may not see a major increase in venti or grande sales, Starbucks will likely see a huge surge in online and social media hype.
