I don’t know about you, but when I think of Starbucks, I think of Alternative, Earthy, Non-Conformist, Coffee House, Seattle Grunge. Never have I thought of Starbucks and then thought- Pop, Top 40, Dance, Wigs and Makeup, Meat Dress.
Well up is down and black is white these days in this bizarro marketing world because Starbucks has partnered up with Lady Gaga on a new digital marketing campaign.
The new campaign, titled ‘SRCH‘ is a seven round online/offline scavenger hunt. Starbucks patrons can begin playing the game by scanning QR codes that are placed throughout each of their U.S. stores. The codes will take them to online clues which will take them on a digital journey through a number of sites.
Prizes go to the person(s) that solve all of the clues first in each round. According to USA Today there are ‘gaggles’ of Starbucks and Gaga related prizes and the top winner gets special access to Gaga at a stop on her 2012 world tour.
The game is slated to go until June 3rd.
Another aspect of this campaign is what Mashable describes as a ‘takeover’ of the Starbucks Digital Network tomorrow (May 23) by Gaga to promote the launch of her new album, ‘Born This Way.’
Lady Gaga music will also be played and sold in Starbucks stores on that day.
(I wonder how that will go over with the regulars???)
Starbucks apparently sees Gaga’s 32 million Facebook Fans and 10 million Twitter followers as social assets too good to pass up.
So what do you think? Starbucks is clearly going after a different demo than they have traditionally appealed to. Is there a backlash to be had here by brand loyalists?
