Why not ruin a good thing?
That’s apparently the prevailing sentiment at Starbucks these days. After the feverish push behind Via instant coffee, the brand continues their off-brand stumble.
This time, Starbucks is doubling down on its relationship with MSNBC’s Morning Joe, the cable morning show hosted by Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski and Willie Geist. The company will rebrand their Gold Coast Blend to become Gold Coast Blend: Morning Joe Edition. The packaging will prominently feature the television show's logo -- larger than Starbucks' own logo.
The coffee empire calls the move part of an effort to increase awareness of its community volunteerism efforts. Together with MSNBC and the Morning Joe cable show, Starbucks will kick off their “Brewing Together Day of Service,” a call-to-action campaign beginning on Nov. 21, encouraging citizens to volunteer in their communities.
Starbucks, MSNBC and Morning Joe will be working with the HandsOn Network, the nation’s largest volunteer organization, in finding volunteer opportunities for interested individuals.
Starbucks began sponsoring the show earlier in the year, featured heavily throughout the broadcast in on-screen billing, identifications by the anchors and overt product placements.
The Daily Show heavily criticized the sponsorship, to hilarious ends, during two broadcasts this summer claiming Morning Joe had sacrificed its journalistic integrity for free coffee.
It’s not out of the ordinary for a brand to sponsor a television show. The practice dates back to the advent of television: think Howdy Doody and Wonder Bread. Neither is it out of the ordinary for brands to promote a product using an entertainment property -- this is common in kids' movies and on their cereal boxes.
Yet Starbucks is taking the sponsorship a step too far. By changing the name of one of their most popular products, sold since 1987, Starbucks is diluting its own brand.
Outside of a clever play on the show's title (Get it? Coffee is called "morning joe," his show is... Okay, Okay. We all get it!), the association with Morning Joe isn’t the best for Starbucks, either. Though Scarborough, a former Republican congressman isn't quite the emotive Glenn Beck, the show often goes over the top with controversial topics, antics, and mockery of the anchors' purported alcohol and drug use.
Given the accusations of bias that always fly between cable news channels Fox, MSNBC and CNN, the last thing Starbucks needs is to play into the "latte liberal" stereotype!
Starbucks and MSNBC should be lauded for championing volunteerism and service. But why Starbucks needs the Morning Joe cable show to promote its service campaign is unclear, as neither brand has an immediately identifiable brand for community service.
It is unclear whether the rebrand is a short-term promotion, or if the Gold Coast Blend: Morning Joe Edition is meant to last forever. The consumer confusion inherent in rebranding and then unbranding a product is enough trouble without the potential political alienation from Morning Joe.
What do you think of Starbucks roast sponsorship idea? Does this roast taste bitter to you?
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