September 30, 2009

Starbucks Via (Re) Launch

Starbucks is finally getting some steam behind their marketing campaign to sell in the Starbucks Via instant coffee product that launched early this year. The blend of microground whole bean coffee and instant coffee has been part of a grassroots campaign across the country this year to boost its awareness and stay away from the mainstream.

Starbucks has launches a pretty major national campaign to energize the product behind a taste test challenge to get its store patrons aware of the new away from home instant coffee. The ads are setting up a national taste test at local Starbucks to see if you can taste the difference between VIa and brewed coffee. The ad is clever enough to not make any claim of taste parity, but are instead saying that "We bet you can't taste the difference". I don't know what they will be brewing, but my hunch is that yes you will taste the difference. I was not at all impressed when I used Starbucks Via earlier this year, and the readers I heard from weren't either. Clever ad campaign, disappointing product.

Recent Comments

tried these VIAs recently as the local
store had them on introductory sale.
as a promotional idea, and a concept,
i think they have more merit than as
a superlative cup of coffee.
that said, i doubt the technoids and marketing
types behind this idea really expected them
to be as good as a good Starbucks coffee.
i did try them on a trip to a remote work site
in Ohio the other week, and for that purpose,
the cup of coffee i got was at least as good
as the black soup which was reheating on the
company kitchen server in their office.
i like the microground concept.
it usually (fine grind) makes a stronger
coffee which is my preference.
as i do travel a lot and am more often
near hot water than a Starbucks store,
i plan on following this going ahead.
maybe if i used their special...Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew 10-oz. Tumbler... i'd get
better results.
i was tempted to add the VIA coffee
to an otherwise mediocre coffee to
double up. will report on that later.

Posted by: howard at October 5, 2009 4:39 PM

The VIA is a horrible product and not worthy of the Starbucks brand name. Rather than embrace pod coffee makers and market their own they have chosen a path that will lead to more brand erosion

Posted by: Rich Meyer at September 30, 2009 11:53 AM