10.17.12

What’s Brewing This Holiday Season

It’s that time of year again when the leaves change colors, the season brings cooler temperatures and we can all walk around with our favorite accessory…a cup of limited-time-only Starbucks flavored coffee. Every year, we all become caffeinated, sugar addicts for our favorite seasonal Starbucks fix, be it a Caramel Apple Spiced Cider or Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino. Our obsessions hit a new low (or high depending who you ask) this past September when our craving for a Pumpkin Spice Latte wasn’t anticipated by Starbucks, causing some coffeehouses to run out of Pumpkin Spice syrup and coffee fiends to lose their minds. Many reports even claimed customers to have thrown tantrums and yell at Baristas for the inconvenience. All the hoopla over high priced indulgent beverages brings to light what would seem to be the obvious question: these people do know it’s just coffee right?

If you’ve ever wondered what turns us into annual flavor fiends, rest assured that Starbucks isn’t brainwashing us; they’re only using common marketing tactics any company would use to push their product. There’s no special additive in the Eggnog Latte that makes you want it, but there are commercials that appeal to your senses, making you completely forget that on average any of the specialty drinks cost around $5 a piece.

Starbucks has become a cultural staple; most people only associate enjoying coffee with the brand itself. Sure we love the variety of coffee, tea and pastry options, but what really helps push the company’s popularity is how convenient the locations are. Starbucks is everywhere: in grocery stores, on campuses, in Target, many free-standing kiosks, you name it! Some locations even have drive up components, so we can feed our addictions on the go without having to get out of the car. Just recently we finished a wall mural project for the Marriott World Center Starbucks location tying in the “love of coffee around the globe”. Take a look at the project here.

Americans are spoiled to having an instant gratification lifestyle; anything we want (within reason), we can get with the click of a mouse, a phone call or the push of a button. It’s because of this attitude that the reports of outraged customers doesn’t come as a complete surprise. The basic principles of supply and demand work in perfect tandem with branding and ad placement when it comes to Starbucks marketing tactics. So don’t feel bad when you’re itching to get a Gingerbread Latte (which is my personal favorite!), because whether you know it or not, you’re doing exactly what they want you to do.