Filed under: Comment
I’ve given Starbucks quite abit of stick in the past … especially with some of their ‘seasonal coffee’ choices. [here, here, here, here, here and here]
Not only that, but I’ve never given the brand much respect because I believe they owe their success more to convenience of locations rather than their coffee or great customer experience.
Of course I’m probably in the minority with this view … plus I’ve been exposed to much better coffee than most Americans who all seem to obsessively love the brand from Seattle … however I’ve always maintained a great brand is one that people will go out of their way to engage regardless of price, distribution, innovation and heritage and in Starbucks case, I don’t know if that’s necessarily why people walk into their stores day after day after day.
Anyway, for once I have something nice to say about them because recently I walked into the shop near my office [I’m lazy, so what!] and saw this …
How beautiful is that packaging eh?
And all that detail is not a print … it’s been individually die-cut.
OK, so the coffee ‘feels’ more like it comes from Thailand than Costa Rica, but you can’t deny it is very eye-catching.
Not only that, but given the packaging embodies such traits as indulgence, luxury, seduction and warmth, it emotionally justifies the huge price Starbucks are charging for it.
Of course having watched the amazing doco, BLACK GOLD, I should never buy coffee from these sorts of corporations again – however a massive thumbs up to Starbucks for appreciating the importance of packaging and design, which makes their ‘Festive Season’ cups all the more difficult to explain …
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There’s no way that cup is for coffee, who the hell drinks that much in one go? Crazy kids…
Comment by Age November 20, 2007 @ 7:12 amI….would…..be…hyper hyper hyper after that much coffiffiffeee.
Comment by Rob Mortimer November 20, 2007 @ 7:40 amFred would drink probably twice that much a day … no wonder he spent so much time weeing, haha
Comment by Robert November 20, 2007 @ 7:52 amWhat are you going on about Age? That’s a small in the US. I thought you Australian’s could drink lots of liquids 🙂
Comment by Pete November 20, 2007 @ 8:47 amHow’s a bloke supposed to smash a pint with all that cafe latte in his gut?
Comment by Age November 20, 2007 @ 9:37 amage, get off that ‘major car brand’ account right now, you’re becoming a bogan!
Comment by lauren November 20, 2007 @ 9:55 amand re: starbucks, they’re evil, their coffee is so ridiculously shit, but but nobody, i repeat nobody does a chai latte like they do.
Comment by lauren November 20, 2007 @ 9:57 amSo let me get this right Lauren, you hate them but happily pay for their Chai Latte?
Talk about mixed messages … you’ll have to do better than that when you’re a Mum, ha!
Comment by Rob November 20, 2007 @ 10:02 amwhen i’m a mum? do you know something i don’t know??!! besides, a girl can be fickle if she wants to…
Comment by lauren November 20, 2007 @ 10:06 amYes … girls can be very fickle indeed! Haha!
Comment by Rob November 20, 2007 @ 10:09 amDon’t worry I have a plan Lauren!
Comment by Age November 20, 2007 @ 10:40 amWhat? To drink coffee out of a VB stubby?
Did you see what I did there? I insinuated VB drinkers are bogans – which they are because they sacked us from their business before we could truly lead them to the promised land.
Bitter? Twisted? Immature?
Yep – that just about sums it up!
Comment by Rob November 20, 2007 @ 10:48 amI hate Starbucks and won’t go in one. Their coffee is rubbish, the experience is rubbish and the music in their stores is rubbish too.
And Rob, don’t get to carried away with the “individually die-cut packaging”. It’s just a punch form on a die cut machine (something like the KAMA TS 74-54, TS 74-60 Automatic Die Cutter – that runs at about 3000 pieces an hour).
So nothing very special about that either.
God, my life is shit.
Morning!
Comment by Charles Stab. November 20, 2007 @ 3:05 pmooh, mr stab, the way you go on about print-machine tech specs is hot! go on, tell us about the difference in dot gain on varying substrates, or explain moire to us… 🙂
Comment by lauren November 20, 2007 @ 3:53 pmi drink that much coffee Age
Comment by NP November 20, 2007 @ 4:17 pmGiven Marcus and Lauren’s comments, maybe I should rename my blog “PRINTER PORN” … I really am scared at the standard of weirdo on this thing!
Comment by Rob November 20, 2007 @ 4:36 pmDo I make you sizzle young Lauren? That’s pretty scary for me. I’ve never met a girl that get’s excited by die-cutters and the like.
I feel emotionally battered.
Comment by Charles Stab. November 20, 2007 @ 4:36 pmPrinter Porn? Now I feel abused.
God my life is shit.
Comment by Charles Stab. November 20, 2007 @ 4:38 pmWhat about book binding Lauren? Does that work for you too? I did a course in that once and somehow managed to bind my arm rather than my book. That’s probably the equivilent of premature somethingorother … but as my Mum reads this thing, lets quickly move on shall we!
Comment by Rob November 20, 2007 @ 4:38 pmmr stab, it could be worse, you could be a binder/finisher.
Comment by lauren November 20, 2007 @ 4:49 pm…or in advertising. that would be worse. Not much mind.
Comment by Charles Stab. November 20, 2007 @ 4:54 pmAt least we don’t live in sheds!
Comment by Rob November 20, 2007 @ 4:55 pmCock.
Comment by Charles Stab. November 20, 2007 @ 4:58 pmSnappy, well constructed, intelligent comeback!
Comment by Rob November 20, 2007 @ 5:04 pm“efficient” is the word I think you’re looking for.
Comment by Charles Stab. November 20, 2007 @ 5:07 pmMy calligraphy will send you right over the edge. There’s nothing quite like dipping a quill in some lovely, fresh ink. The fresh, creamy paper, glistening, panting for the first touch of my nib, ready for me to mark it with my indellible touch.
Comment by NP November 20, 2007 @ 5:11 pm“Take me now calligrapher!”, it screams.
What the fuck?
Comment by Charles Stab. November 20, 2007 @ 5:31 pm1) Location (place) is part of any brand.
2) The standard of weirdo on this blog has never been better.
3) I never drink coffee.
Comment by John November 20, 2007 @ 5:34 pmI only go into Starbucks if I absolutely have to and that is very infrequently. They are the single most over talked about brand in the world. They make coffee. Its not great its OK. Their bubble so needs to be pricked.
Comment by Charles Frith November 20, 2007 @ 5:36 pmHey. I didn’t mean to put the kibosh on ‘the conversation’ there. 🙂
Comment by Charles Frith November 21, 2007 @ 3:02 amI have to admit that around Christmas I really like Starbucks. Not for that seasonal cups (and cardboard cupholders) but for the great Eggnog Latte they have. That may sound odd for the coffee connoisseurs hanging around here but I had my first in New York and since then looked for it every Christmas.
Though the rest of the year Starbucks is overpriced and does a brew that is easily outshined by every decent coffee shop. Even Pret does a better one.
Comment by Seb November 21, 2007 @ 4:54 amBut whom am I to judge. I have fallen with instant coffee since at Wiedens.
Comment by Seb November 21, 2007 @ 4:55 amHang on Seb … Weiden, the bastion of class, sophistication and creativity has hooked you onto cheap, instant-but-not-fulfilling-gratification?
What the …
And Charles, don’t worry, I think everyone just got bored with the post – they can only keep on ‘topic’ for so long and with Andy away and Marcus locked in the shed, it didn’t have enough energy to go into its normal mad free for all 🙂
Comment by Rob November 21, 2007 @ 7:20 amRight.
Comment by Seb November 21, 2007 @ 5:21 pmBut I like it.
Better than the freshly brewed one.