Caribou Coffee aims at Starbucks, misses
Filed under: Company News, Starbucks
It's popular, among the upstart coffee companies and the media which covers them, to portray anything that happens in the coffee world as an affront to Starbucks. And certainly, little is done in the industry without an ever-present consciousness of every move of the coffee giant. For the country's second-largest chain, Caribou Coffee (CBOU), sadly, its first TV advertisement is a volley lobbed directly at the Seattle-based leader; but misses entirely. AdAge says of the television commercial launched Thursday, it's "an approach that pokes fun at its biggest rival, Starbucks (SBUX)." But for customers, that's hard to see. The ad shows two marionettes on a bench at the mall, drinking tiny coffee cups with circles on them (so subtly like Starbucks cups, you'd only know if you paused the commercial to stare), chatting about how "super-important" they're pretending to look. They're snobby and insufferable until an enormous cup of Caribou Coffee, topped with whipped cream and chocolate bits, sits down next to them
"Why don't we ever get Caribou Coffee?" the marionette in the pink sunglasses asks. "Because we're not real," says talking-on-Bluetooth guy. The narrator then turns to the "real pieces of Guittard chocolate" melted into "all of our handcrafted chocolate drinks." AdAge's writer translates: "Of course one of the biggest knocks on Starbucks, from non-brand loyalists, is the perceived snob factor."
Caribou Coffee's ad agency follows up with the explanations: According to Colle & McVoy creative director Eric Husband, "the marionettes are a fun, lighthearted way to drive home the point that Caribou Coffee uses real ingredients," and more: in any of the 400-plus Caribou outlets "there's this very real, genuine vibe -- it's what separates them from competitors."
While authenticity may be the vibe Caribou hopes to portray, it's hardly well-communicated with a sticky-sweet whipped-cream-topped "chocolate drink." And the marionettes are a little funny but they're not obviously caricatures of Starbucks customers. Those "pretend to look important" and "talk on cellphone in front of you" characters are surely annoying but could very well be Caribou customers, too; in every Caribou I've ever visited, the customers are truly indistinguishable from those at the competition.
As are these drinks. Overly sweet chocolate drinks sold at a coffee shop are just as pretentious and inauthentic as those marionettes. One commenter at AdAge nails it: "trying to out-snob the competition's snob appeal is talking to yourself." And while this advertisement is surely funny and expresses the "real chocolate" attributes well, it's unclear whether Caribou is taking aim at its competitor; or at its very own customers. Either barb misses the mark, entirely.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
11-14-2009 @ 6:57PM
David S. said...
Dunkin Donuts has the best coffee, hands down. I am not familiar with Caribou, but Starbucks coffee always tastes burned.
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11-14-2009 @ 7:24PM
J said...
Give me a cup of McDonald's coffee for about half the price.
11-14-2009 @ 7:26PM
punkin pie said...
Caribou is awesome! I was hooked on it when we lived in Minnesota.......wish we had it in Florida.....Starbucks oily strong even mild .....dunkin excellent but Caribou by far....believe me McD not bad either.......Dunkin needs to change their lids on the small size......icky lids. I like McD lids.........Caribou coffee :)
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11-14-2009 @ 8:19PM
Shannon said...
If I drink coffee I brew it myself at home, I just get whatever is on sale and it tastes pretty good to me. The only time i ever go to coffee shops are when i want some kind of latte and then it doesn't matter to me where I go, wherever is closer, it all tastes alike to me. Actually the best and most different flavor of lattes I have had has been at small little bakeries like the almond joy latte, or the chocolate macadamia nut latte...starbucks doesn't do that.
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11-14-2009 @ 8:45PM
Cathy said...
McDonald's For Me
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11-14-2009 @ 8:48PM
Andre said...
Bottom line is this, it's about personal preference. It's much like wine and yes, even chocolate. Some people really prefer Hershey's, chocolate enthusiasts may prefer Ghiradelli, Godiva, or even Guittard - the same is true about coffee. Dunkin' Donuts and McDonald's sell to their customer, Caribou and Starbucks sell to their customers. They're completely different markets, with completely different demographics, and yes, sometimes they do overlap. For me, it's Caribou all the way.
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11-14-2009 @ 8:50PM
Jodie said...
I live in Ohio, and go up to Lake Erie every summer. I always visit a small coffee shop in Port Clinton called The Coffee Express. I have never had a bad drink there. They always have new drinks posted on a chalk board. They have so many different flavors that I never get tired of the same old thing. Their hot chocolate is by far the best I have ever had too. Long live independently owned shops.....They are the best!!!!
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11-14-2009 @ 9:11PM
Ron said...
When McDonalds sold Seattle's Best, it was good, but now I won't buy it.
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11-14-2009 @ 11:57PM
lisanie43 said...
Who cares about Caribou Coffee? Starbucks will continue to shine no matter how incomprehensible some bigger name coffee shops try to take over some coffee businesses. McDonald's coffee is okay, but it doesn't beat the coffee blends that Starbucks uses. And most coffeehouses don't serve good frappuccinos, or latte that Starbucks is famous for! Especially Starbuck's signature green tea frappuccino and low fat pumpkin spiced latte! The only thing that most coffee shops are famous for, is plain coffee and donuts.
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11-15-2009 @ 12:09PM
pr said...
starbucks is very bitter stuff, no wonder dunkin donuts sells mopre coffee than anybody, starbusks should be used as fertilizer
11-14-2009 @ 11:05PM
rick8051 said...
So now the cool thing is to knock Starbucks. OK. Fine. But in my book, they have the best coffee...consistently.
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11-14-2009 @ 11:26PM
KLOO said...
Starbucks and Seattle Best brew the best tasting to more customers. They started the whole coffee trend 15-20 years ago, after all. But everyone has their favorite when it comes to any food and drink. Is that not why restaurants have menus? To me , perceived "coffee wars" are a non-issue.
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11-15-2009 @ 7:00AM
try2chme said...
I think caribou beats starbucks, too bad there's none where i currently live. mcdonald's new mocha's aren't good at all. I worked there and the only reason i drank them was because of the whipped cream and chocolate topping. They could've left out the mocha and i would've been more than happy
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11-15-2009 @ 7:25AM
Steve said...
Dunkin, Starbucks, Caribou, what ever, I can drink any of them. However I tend not to go to Dunkin, because I can't understand the guy behind the counter half the time.
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11-15-2009 @ 8:07AM
joan said...
While we like the convenience of our Starbuck's drive-thru, a change from their somewhat bitter coffee(we order it with extra cream and like it that way), is welcome, every so often. So, it is off to Caribou Coffee for an enjoyable 'smooth' coffee change. In comparison to these two coffees, Dunkin and McD's, seem to be so 'watered down'. Can't seem to get back to Dunkin, even after being a faithful follower for over 30 years, once Starbuck's and Caribou were discovered, which I think are the best if one wants a 'stronger' cup of coffee.
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11-15-2009 @ 9:17AM
MIchael Mc Manus said...
Had it at the airport in Minnesota. Very good coffee. Enjoyed it.
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11-15-2009 @ 10:57AM
bryan dowd said...
I'll take Dunkin Doughnuts coffee over any of them; can't stand Starbucks;
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11-15-2009 @ 11:56AM
Dick said...
i WOULD LIKE TO BRING CARIBOU COFFEE TO oCALA fLORIDA, hOW WOULD ONE GET A FRANCHISE. NEED ADDRESS.
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11-15-2009 @ 12:05PM
gaynell said...
I think that most people think that when it says "coffee" it means one kind..the old fashoned drip brewed coffee. Yes starbucks drip brewed is terrible but all of its specialty coffees..lattes, fraps. and teas are the best.
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11-15-2009 @ 12:14PM
jpezz333 said...
Caribou coffee is not a real competitor to Starbucks. The coffee is bad, the pastry offerings are bad and the baristas don't know how to properly make any coffee drinks.
People who think Velveeta is good cheese will like it.
Starbucks is not the greatest coffee in the world and I find that there is some inconsistency in the taste of their drinks from time to time but it is still a decent option if you can't find a good local coffee shop.
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