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Starbucks: 'Our love was written in the lattes'
Starbucks Canada has created a zodiac chart to help us find the perfect drinks for our Valentines, sparking the question. "Hey, there; what's your latte?"
February 13, 2019 by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com
Starbucks Canada has created a zodiac chart to help us find the perfect drink for our Valentines, and it's going to earn the company thousands of social media impressions.
Is it silly and cheesy? Yes, of course. Is it probably made up? You bet. I actually reached out to the press team at Starbucks to see if it was just a wild guessing game (I want that job) or if the company partnered with someone like Miss Cleo or at least based the picks on astrological charts. The response:
"Mercury isn't in retrograde until March 5 but ordering the wrong coffee can have the same effect on your day. To help, Starbucks unveiled the 2019 Starbucks Zodiac, complete with beverage recommendations that take common personality traits between each sign and our beverages."
According to the Starbucks Canada Instagram Stories, Pisces (me) should drink the Java Chip Frappuccino because it's a "daydream come true," which is obviously characteristic of a true Pisces. I'm no astrological guru, but I'll take it.
So why did Starbucks "waste" its time creating this chart when we all know it's not "real?"
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| The Pink Drink is perfect for an Aries |
Easy. The company knows people long to explore their "unique personalities" and then share it with anyone who will listen. It's why I — and thousands of other people — just took the time to find out what drink matches my sign and share it via Twitter. Of course, I want everyone to know that I'm like a "daydream come true," and Starbucks is happy as well since I'm talking about it with my friends. And now we are thinking about when we can get away from our desks to hit Starbucks.
But the beauty of this marketing tactic doesn't stop there. Reading about these drinks and seeing how they match up to people I love is also slightly entertaining. Should I be working? Yes, but now I'm down the rabbit hole, which Starbucks is counting on thousands of us to do.
I looked up my husband's go-to drink: The Mango Dragonfruits Starbucks Refreshers because he's "wild at heart." OMG, so true.
My sister is a typical Taurus, so she needs the Iced Matcha Green Tea Latte, which according to the tagline written by Starbucks, was "green means go, go, go." Wow, she's a vice principal at a high school, is always on the move and doesn't hate green tea. That's three right in a row. I better share those drinks with them as well on their sites.
Let's see. Mom is an Aries, which Starbucks calls a "colorful personality" (if they only knew) and suggests she indulge in its Pink Drink — Strawberry Coconut Drink. Dude, she hates coffee and sorta likes Lady Gaga, who inspired this drink, so this is perfect. Another great prediction by Starbucks.
My friend, Tina, is a true Gemini, so Starbucks suggests the Americano and was careful to point out it comes hot or iced in honor of the duality of the Gemini personality. Maybe I'll stop by Tina's office later today and surprise her with her Gemini-specific drink just to show her I think she's "twice as nice." (Another Starbucks tagline.)
And my 9-year-old son is using the Starbucks post (why did I let him have Instagram?) to try to talk me into letting him have Starbucks today, which he only gets once a year on his birthday. He's a Capricorn AKA a "Cold Brew" who, apparently, is destined for success. Better start working on those math problems, Son.
I almost forgot; my boss is also a Pisces, so she'll agree with me that we are both like "daydreams coming true." I bet she'll even like my post if I tag her.
Well played, Starbucks. Well played.
Images: Starbucks
About Cherryh Cansler
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