Advertising Analysis: Starbucks

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The name Starbucks has become a household name over the years, and it is nearly synonymous with coffee as a whole. Both the iconic tricolor of green, black, and white and the emblem of the Siren have become nearly as recognizable as the company name itself. With such popularity, Starbuck faces an incredible amount of pressure to produce quality beverages. Starbucks has no qualms about meeting this demand, though. With a simple advertisement composed of a lone coffee cup accompanied by a bold promise, Starbucks guarantees customers a perfect cup of coffee.
The primary assumption underlying the ad’s success is that society is dependent on coffee. This deceptively minimalistic ad is constructed to draw the viewer’s eye to certain key features, …show more content…

In a capitalistic society like America, the only way corporations will make money is by making customers happy. Starbucks knows that if it wants to profit, it needs to show customers it is worth their time. The text overlaying the enticing image of a hot cup of coffee literally states that a coffee from Starbucks will be perfect. “If your coffee isn’t perfect, we’ll make it over,” the ad promises. It goes on to say, “If it still isn’t perfect, make sure you’re in a Starbucks.” Aside from the explicit claim that a Starbucks coffee will be perfect, the ad makes this same claim implicitly as well. In these two sentences, the words “coffee,” “perfect,” and “Starbucks” are bolded and in a bigger font. This not only draws the viewer’s attention to these words, but it also encourages the viewer to subconsciously associate these three words with each other. Thus, the viewer begins to think that Starbucks coffee is perfect. The ad also guarantees customer satisfaction. Starbucks realizes that even a perfect product won’t sell if the customer is unhappy, so Starbucks aims to ensure potential customers that their voices will be heard. The reassurance that Starbucks will remake an imperfect drink shows that the company is willing to work for the customer’s happiness. This also feeds the potential customer’s sense of self-importance, which is …show more content…

This ad asserts that Starbucks coffee is superior to coffee from other coffeeshops. “If your coffee still isn’t perfect, make sure you’re in a Starbucks,” the ad advises the viewer, implying that only other coffeeshops make mistakes twice. Furthermore, since Starbucks promises perfect coffee, it is clearly implying that other coffeeshops don’t offer the same, meaning that other coffeeshops simply provide coffee of inferior quality. This is supported by the text lining the bottom of the ad, which claims that “It’s not just coffee. It’s Starbycks.” The message is that Starbucks offers a coffee-drinking experience that is unparalleled by other coffeeshops. Therefore people who drink coffee from Starbucks are enjoying a superior experience to people who drink coffee from other, “lesser” cafes. However, the ad fails to mention that Starbucks is only easily accessible to the affluent. Prices at Starbucks are exorbitant—drinks can cost upwards of ten dollars, an astonishing price for a beverage that can be found for as little as a dollar at a McDonald’s. Starbucks are rarely seen in underdeveloped or impoverished areas, simply since the available clientele would be unable to afford Starbucks drinks on a regular basis, and the clients that could would be unlikely to frequent low-income areas. Simply put, only rich people are able to drink the superior Starbucks

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