Coffee City

Melissa Allison follows the world's biggest coffee-shop chain and other Seattle caffeine purveyors.

April 30, 2009 2:17 PM

Beware of a cheaper cup of coffee, Starbucks says in new ad campaign

"It comes with a price," Starbucks says in one of four new ads it unveiled today. They're part of Starbucks' new long-term brand campaign to share its values and combat the idea that its coffee is too pricey.

You can see all four print ads and a video clip of Howard Schultz discussing the new campaign with employees here.

The campaign kicks off on Sunday with a full-page ad on the back of The New York Times' business section.

That placement helps explain how Starbucks can do this multi-million-dollar campaign without adding to its marketing expense, as CFO Troy Alstead promised on a conference call with analysts Wednesday.

Starbucks has long advertised its environmental and other global responsibility efforts in The New York Times. Although terms of the advertising are not disclosed, it might get a discount or other deal in exchange for putting that paper on top of its cafes' news racks.

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