What Kind of Advertising Does Starbucks Use?
Starbucks’ Minimalism

As known by all, Starbucks is a famous coffee brand around the world. It makes various kinds of advertisements to enlarge its influence. So how does this particular Starbucks’s advertisement play a part in drawing clients? It attracts consumers by its minimalistic style, such as simple images presented as cartoon-like drawings, short descriptive language, folk music and repetition.
The colors used throughout the video are not too bright or too dark but muted. The background doesn’t change much; it is always green. There are not many shadows. This keeps the style simple, rather than moving audiences’ attention away from the main image of the products. The overall artistic style of this ad is minimalism because everything in this ad is flat and single colored. Throughout the ad, the products which are advertised are always in the middle of the screen to show that they are significant. Everything else surrounds the image of the products.
The text is usually several key words around the image. This text attempts to be convincing by using descriptive and manipulative words and phrases. In the whole advertisement, there is very little text displayed along with the product. Usually, there are only a few words, such as “sweet sugar” or “perfect combination.”
Another important message is that Starbucks cares about the environment; one of the texts says “100 percent recycled”. The ad also shows some delicious food that is easy to put in a simple paper bag. All of these techniques of simple words and pictures can instantly display certain images in your mind. Additionally, the language creates a warm and familiar atmosphere as it is a casual advertisement and coffee becomes associated with relaxation.
The folk music in the entire video is upbeat and happy, adding warmth and relaxation. The lyrics of music often say, “Why don’t you stay for a while,” which means that Starbucks hopes customers will go to Starbucks to buy cups of coffee and stay for a while to have a rest. As the ad displays, customers are able to listen to upbeat music and enjoy their leisure time with friends in Starbucks. For those who come after finishing hard work, Starbucks provides a place for them to relax.
The music and language repeat again and again in the ad. To be more specific, the music in this ad repeats its tone time after time. It expresses that this ad has a minimalistic style that is the same as its brand strategy. Furthermore, language is also repeated which is beneficial to keep audiences’ attention on the screen and leave a deep impression in their mind. The repetition makes this ad simpler instead of complex, which is in line with its minimalist style.
In conclusion, this advertisement is successful in selling its products by persuasive texts, clean imagery and cheerful background music. There is no doubt that it is able to attract more and more consumers to have a cup of coffee and communicate with others. Thus, this ad is effective and successful.



