Starbucks Via
Well I went to Starbucks today and was bombarded with marketing for their newest product- Starbucks Via. Basically it’s little packets of instant Starbucks coffee so you can have a cup of Starbucks anywhere you go. They gave me a sample and while it was not bad, you could tell it wasn’t freshly brewed either. It is amusing to me that Starbucks is extending their brand into one of the last coffee related products they had not tried to conquer yet. Maybe they will be very successful in this venture but I’m of the mind when it comes to niche markets to do what you do well and stick with that. Starbucks might be extending their brand a little too much. Plus it is $10 for 12 cups of coffee which by Starbucks’ standards is dirt cheap but by Folgers standards is still very pricey. I will be interested to see if this takes off (if it does it will be based on brand recognition and convenience solely). Who knows, people out there might be just crazy enough for Starbucks to make it work!
