As Starbucks Turns 50, It Celebrates the Power of Coffee to Connect in New Ad
Starbucks faced an uncertain future not long ago, in the midst of the epidemic, due to declining sales and mounting concerns about whether coffee drinkers would ever return to some form of their pre-Covid-19 patterns.
Starbucks has discovered it is more relevant than ever as consumers seek human interaction during their Starbucks runs, with sales returning far beyond its 2019 results.
Starbucks is commemorating this act of socialising in a new ad that also marks the company’s 50th anniversary, with the tagline “Possible is just the beginning.” After all, Starbucks started as a single establishment in Pike Place Market in Seattle in 1971.
“These small human contacts that people have every day that just confirm they exist in the world and give their day meaning had been edging out over time, but really accelerated during the pandemic with social isolation and social distancing,” said CMO Brady Brewer to Adweek. “And so it was like the stars aligned for a company whose mission has been based on the concept of human connection and fostering the human spirit—as a company whose lifeblood is coffee, which has naturally brought people together for centuries.”
Indeed, according to Brewer, coming to one of Starbucks’ cafés was usually the only human contact consumers had outside of their houses throughout the pandemic.
“As stressful and challenging as the epidemic has been on a thousand different levels, it’s almost been this great moment where we can look at it and say, ‘This is what Starbucks was founded for,’” he added.
A 60-second spot that began running Oct. 4 depicts the types of human interactions you may see in a Starbucks store, such as a regular coming in for his usual or a couple on their first date.
“It’s simply this universal reality that coffee has this natural gathering effect, whether it’s a small chat, folks at work, family or friends, or meeting a stranger,” Brewer said.
