Starbucks VIA

On Tuesday, at the MDeC Brand Mastery Series workshop we discussed the wonderment of the coffee specialist and participants shared their passion for Starbucks.

Some preferred the strong coffee taste, others the not so bitter taste, yet others preferred the ambience, the comfy chairs, etc but nett nett we all agreed that one of the most compelling reason people frequent a Starbucks outlet is the fact that they are fulfilling an inherent need to want to be seen there.

I suppose because Starbucks aka the coffee specialists, therefore by association the people who hang out there are coffee connoisseurs who can also afford to pay ten ringgit for a cup of black coffee. The premium image is tempting appeal.

Also an interesting fact shared by Starbucks fan-Omar Sharif, is that 70% of their customers are female which could suggest that the ladies are more brand conscious than their male counterpart.

Be that as it may, as much as there are Starbucks lovers, coffee lovers or simply the Starbucks brand lovers, the business side of Starbucks has taken a big hit in recent times. To date they have closed down over 1,000 outlets and laid-off 6,000 workers. Even founder Howard Schultz was made to return as CEO early last year to help in its turnaround.

And as part of Schultz’s turnaround plan, Starbucks launched Via instant coffee yesterday. They are setting out to convince Americans & Canadians that its new Via instant coffee is comparable to its brewed product. Instant coffee? Isn’t that Nescafe territory?

What do you think?

How would your brand participate in the golden age of the geek?

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