To help launch a line of sweet, creamy banana Frappuccinos last month, Starbucks sponsored a family-oriented community event–a free day at the Phoenix Zoo.
For adults, there were samples of espresso-infused Banana Coconut Frappuccino. But the coffee retailer also set out samples that the kids flocked to: tiny cups of Bananas & Creme Frappuccinos made with banana puree and whipped cream, no coffee.
What made the promotion surprising is that Starbucks has a long-standing policy of avoiding marketing to kids. The company says it isn’t aiming its new non-coffee Frappuccinos at children. But the promotion shows the challenge Starbucks faces in capitalizing on its growing popularity among families without breaking its pledge. As Starbucks launches more drinks that could appeal to kids, it’s also raising concerns about the nutritional value of items on its menu, as well as the high prices.
Food makers have become increasingly cautious about marketing to kids amid growing concern about childhood obesity. Kraft Foods last year started limiting its marketing to kids younger than 12. In May, soda companies agreed to halt sales of sugared sodas in schools. Starbucks, for its part, says it hasn’t changed its position on marketing toward youth.
The coffee chain’s written policy says its “overall marketing, advertising and event sponsorship efforts are not directed at children or youth,” although some “community activities” end up reaching kids. The company reviews marketing materials to avoid distributing ones that could be “inadvertently appealing to youth,” the policy says.
But as Starbucks expands, it is attracting new demographics, from teens who hang out after school to young mothers chilling out with their toddlers. “Starbucks itself is a gathering place,” says Brad Stevens, Starbucks vice president of U.S. marketing. “You can often go in and see a whole family.”
The influx of young people in the stores also threatens to upset customers who rely on Starbucks for a quiet place to work, read or relax. Neighborhood Starbucks outlets attract so many middle- and high-school students that “on weekend nights it’s almost like a bar for teenagers,” says analyst Sharon Zackfia, who follows the coffee chain for Chicago-based William Blair & Co.
Melissa Schwartz, a 38-year-old nursing student from Deerfield, complained to the manager of a Chicago Starbucks in March when about 40 teenagers flooded the store while she was trying to study for midterm exams.
“They were over-the-top obnoxious,” says Schwartz. Some of them sat on the floor near her. “They just crawl all over you,” she says. The store manager asked the teenagers to quiet down and gave Schwartz drink coupons.
But the manager also told her there wasn’t much he could do because the kids are customers, too, Schwartz recalls. Now she peeks inside the Starbucks to make sure there aren’t too many teenagers and, if there are, crosses the street to a quieter tea shop.
THE SKINNY ON FRAPPUCCINOS: THEY’RE PACKED WITH FAT
Starbucks started selling Frappuccinos in 1995 after one of its Southern California stores whipped up the drink while experimenting with a cold coffee beverage. Since then, the Frappuccino has become one of the chain’s most popular drinks and has evolved to include non-coffee varieties like Strawberries & Creme and Double Chocolate Chip. The coffee chain now is adding more non-coffee flavors. On Tuesday, it rolled out a new line of pomegranate and tangerine juice Frappuccinos.
Plenty of adults drink Frappuccinos. But the sweetness and consistency of the drinks make them particularly appealing to children.
Nutrition experts have criticized coffee chains for using sweetened coffee drinks as so-called starter beverages that get children hooked on caffeine. The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a food-industry watchdog, recently complained that Frappuccinos are among the most fat- and calorie-packed items on the Starbucks menu. A 16-ounce grande-size Bananas & Creme has 550 calories and 15 grams of fat. By comparison, the same size chocolate shake at McDonald’s has 580 calories and 14 grams of fat.
Starbucks says that it offers lighter versions of many Frappuccinos and that the new juice line contains no fat and fewer calories than its traditional Frappuccinos.
— The Wall Street Journal
