Starbucks Loses Its Richness

It's no secret to my nearest and dearest that I'm addicted to Starbucks. My desks at work and home are littered with cups and my card is constantly being reloaded. I'm even one of those annoying tall-unsweetened-one splenda-non-fat milk-ice coffee type girls. While my passion for good coffee won't impact my decision to buy the pricy drink, I'll now always associate my favorite java brand with this.

Nicole Richie, one of my favorite Hollywood personalities, was hired to promote Starbucks' Via line. You know, that instant coffee that you just pour into water? Well the coffee giant sponsored a "spend a day with Nicole" contest that was one giant advertorial/product plug for Via. The winner, Molly, got to spend the day with Nicole at a homeless shelter, at her public relations firm and at Starbucks.

The problem with this project lay in Nicole's inability to properly plug the product. Rather than just sitting and drinking her heavily branded Via coffee, Nicole came up lame one-liners on how amazing the product is. Starbucks, don't you realize that consumers can smell bullshit from miles away? Next time, sit your representative through some media training to ensure that they effectively work your product into the conversation, rather than shouting it to viewers.

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