One month after a bold debut
marketing campaign, the new Starbucks Via coffee has not made much of a splash
in the market. The coffee is good, tasting nearly like the regular Starbucks
coffee. Starbucks calls it "coffee in an instant" and not "instant coffee" for
a reason - it is a completely different product. Instant coffee is generally
brewed in giant batches and is then freeze dried, or in plain English the water
is removed leaving dried coffee granules. Adding hot water, therefore,
reconstitutes instant coffees. With the Starbucks Via product, the coffee bean
is super-finely ground. When water is added, the roasted bean product
completely dissolves. Another major factor is the freshness - just like the
first cups of a jar of instant coffee tastes best, Starbucks Via comes in
individual packets so each packet tastes fresh, no matter how long you keep it.
Also, Starbucks Via tastes more like fresh brewed coffee than any instant,
including individual packets.
Some Starbucks
connoisseurs are able to tell the difference, but all will also say the taste
is almost identical and that it is a great alternative when they can't get the
real thing. That is exactly what Starbucks had in mind when the created the
product - a near perfect alternative to visiting their stores. The one thing
Starbucks Via cannot recreate though is the Starbucks experience. Regardless if
you buy a Vento mocha caramel frappuccino, a double soy decaf pumpkin spice
latte with an extra shot hold the whip or just plain coffee, Via customers
won't get the satisfaction of being able to order their morning coffee in a
million different combinations. That's okay though. Via is not meant to be
offer ultimate coffee experience which Starbucks customers can only get on the
stores, but it does fill in the blanks for Starbucks customers who just can't
make it to their favorite store as often as they want to.
Overall Via is a very good product and instant
coffee drinkers will most likely prefer the Starbucks Via Columbian coffee over
their regular instant; and regular Starbucks customers will probably prefer the
Italian roast. As with any coffee, you control the strength so people who feel
the regular Starbucks coffee is too strong for them can easily adjust Via to
their liking with the amount of water in their cup. Via's higher price per cup
though means it will compete with other instant coffee packet products, not
larger jars of instant coffee, and that puts Via in a niche market. In some
stores Starbucks has extended their "Via Challenge" to new customers who ask
about the product, and in some cases they may offer you a coupon for free cup
of coffee just for trying it. You can also expect to see various in-store
promotions of Via since the product appears to be slow to catch on. Yesterday,
Starbucks reported strong fourth financial results, but that is not due to Via
sales. The payback for the financial investment in the creation and promotion
of Via will not be known for a few more months, but the fact that the company
reported better than expected earnings with the product development expenses is
a good financial sign for the company, especially as the economy starts a
recovery. From a consumer standpoint Boycott Watch does not see Via as an
instant hit, but it will certainly not turn consumers away from Starbucks
stores either. Via may need time to catch on. It will and it is worth trying.
* Starbucks and Starbucks Via are trademarks of
Starbucks Coffee Company. |
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