In a global first for Starbucks, the brand’s Canadian arm is giving coffee enthusiasts the chance to put their personal touch on its product offering.
To mark the success of its mellow-tasting Blonde Roast – the Veranda blend in particular – Starbucks has launched an online contest that will give one lucky Canadian an honour normally reserved for coffee masters and marketers: the opportunity to re-name Veranda.
Since its launch north of the border in February 2012 as part of an effort to satiate an overwhelming Canadian craving for light-flavoured coffee, the Veranda blend has resonated well with coffee drinkers. The company says it accounts for 12% of all brewed coffee purchased at Starbucks stores, and, on a per-person basis, Canadians drink twice as much of the stuff than our American neighbours.
Inviting Canadians to rename Veranda was the perfect way to celebrate this, said Luisa Girotto, public affairs director for Starbucks Canada.
“Starbucks creates moments of connection,” said Girotto. “Inviting Canadians to submit their names for Veranda is one of many ways we build meaningful relationships with our customers.”
To drum up a bit of hype, Starbucks enlisted notable Canadian celebrities such as racing champion Paul Tracey and super model Stacey McKenzie to come up with their own names for the product. Tracey, for example, chose “Canadian Formula.”
the “Name Your Blend” contest, part of a larger brand awareness campaign for Blonde Roast, was brought to life with the help of agency partners including BBDO, Blast Radius, Mediacom and Edelman in digital, OOH, newspaper, radio and social media.
The submission phase of the contest wraps up on Feb. 10, with public voting taking place between Feb. 18 and 25.
