Starbucks’ New Brand Campaign Pulls at Heartstrings

Starbucks launched a new brand campaign on Monday called “Meet Me at Starbucks” and it has all of the elements of an instant success. The campaign idea, originally a product of agency BBDO, was intended to show that Starbucks is about more than just coffee – it’s about the relationships that are affected by the meetings that happen there. Looking to turn the idea into something bigger, Starbucks sought the help of agency 72andSunny to film a mini documentary that shows what happens in a day at Starbucks stores around the world.

The documentary was filmed over a 24 hour period in 28 countries in 59 stores. Between one director at the 72andSunny, 39 filmmakers and local photographers, 220 hours of footage was created. Here is what they came up with:

Starbucks launched the campaign with 60 second spots on TV in the United States on Monday. Spots are ended with a link to view the entire documentary and the stories behind each of the groups documented on YouTube. The end result is a unique style of video that allows viewers to dive into individual stories while watching the documentary and then revert back to where they left off when the story is over. A second mode allows viewers to see and click on all of individual stories, which are displayed as a collage.

Starbucks plans to take over the YouTube homepage on October 1 and will run banner ads across the web to promote the campaign. To see the product of 72andSunny’s work, click here.

This shift from Starbucks’ commonly-known product related messages to a branding campaign is one more example of how important a the story of a brand is in the eyes of the customer. In our opinion, 72andSunny did a superb job of telling the “Starbucks Story” – one that anyone who has met someone at Starbucks can relate to. One might have asked themselves or had conversations about why there are so many Starbucks and often right across the street from one another. This campaign will likely allow you to see the answer.

So, what’s your brand’s story? How do you tell it? Can your customers relate? Does it make them feel something when they think about it? If you aren’t sure of the answer to these questions, give us a call or shoot us a message. We’ll be happy to sit down with you to discuss how we can get to the bottom of your story and tell it in a way that allows your customers to feel good about your brand.