Mocha: To Treat or Not to Treat?

The other day I was walking down my usual path through Penn State’s HUB. Nonchalantly looking around, to my left, just outside of Starbucks, my eye caught poster advertising a Starbucks beverage.

Just one of perhaps hundreds of advertisements that I read or see every week, this promotion managed to catch my attention. What first struck me were the ad’s words:

Treat Yourself to a

handcrafted Mocha.

It’s the perfect balance of rich

cocoa and espresso.

Or try our NEW skinny mocha—

110 calories in a tall.

Treat yourself:

This implies that I have worked hard or did something significant enough to deserve a reward. I feel flattered by this comment. It’s not every day that someone recognizes the hard work I do, and I don’t care if it’s an indirect compliment coming from an impersonal banner outside of Starbucks, I’ll take what I can get!

Saying ‘treat’ suggests that Starbucks is selling a treat, something that will give me, or any other consumer, great pleasure. From the get go, this poster is telling those who see it that what Starbucks is promoting is special.

Handcrafted:

This beverage isn’t just made, it’s crafted. This word implies that the drink was made skillfully by a barista who takes time and care to create a quality drink for the customer. It detracts from the fact that it is most likely a college student who is trying to earn some extra cash at a part-time job that is making the drink. ‘Handcrafted’ thus suggests that Starbucks takes pride in skillfully making beverages for its customers. The word also suggests that these drinks are pieces of art.

But what is a Mocha anyway? Following this train of thought, right below the first two lines, the advertisers give observers a definition:

It’s the perfect balance of

rich cocoa and espresso.

Perfect:

Of course, Starbucks would never give its customer anything less than the best. The customer is worth this cup of ‘handcrafted’ perfection.

           

Balance:

It’s interesting that they should use this word rather than blend. Creating balance requires precise measurement. To me, Starbucks is suggesting that it took great pains to make this beverage perfect. As a customer, I have the privilege of benefitting from the fruits of their labor or, perhaps more fittingly, benefitting from the drink of their labor.

Rich:

This gives the drink texture. Perhaps the onlooker could smell a Mocha from the nearby coffee shop or see the final product pictured below on the sign, but now they can feel the beverage in their mouths. This word also correlates to the earlier implication that a Mocha is a luxury.

           

NEW:

The capitalized ‘NEW’ is important and exciting, calling attention to all those who read the ad. Starbucks is trying to excite its potential customers and, after feeling proud and confident from the earlier implied statement, perhaps they will decide they are feeling spunky enough to try one!

           

Skinny:

The Mocha is not just thin, it’s skinny! This word choice is more extreme and thus more outrageous, calling attention to how low in calories the skinny mocha is. It’s a much catchier title than ‘low-fat’.

           

The overall soft brown look of this ad reflects the warm coffee-shop atmosphere that Starbucks generally exudes. The white whipped cream on top of the drink looks fluffy and artistic. Meanwhile I’m fairly certain that I’ve never seen a customer walk away from Starbucks with a mug like that shown in the advertisement. All the same, the ad’s look does a good job of emphasizing the warmth of the drink and what a Mocha is.

In just 26 words, the ad encapsulates many appeals to the viewer. Seeing this advertisement, I felt complimented, curious, enlightened and drawn in to the ad’s message. Alas, although the ad was able to make me think about the product and feel a variety of emotions, it did not convince me enough to actually try the Mocha. I decided not to treat myself, but what about you?