Hi,

We’re making a change. Using simpler recipes and taking out artificial ingredients. So your food not only tastes better, it is better. It’s a start. But we think it’s a good one. Hope you do too. Enjoy.

Your Friends at Starbucks

P.S. More to come.

This morning, I read my Starbucks bag while munching on a Reduced-Fat Very Berry Coffee Cake.

At first I got a warm fuzzy feeling from the healthy message on the bag….then I realized that it says a lot of nothing. 

I found an article from Reuter’s about how Starbucks revamped its food items in 2009.  It’s healthier now, but if you scroll through the caloric info, it makes you wonder how bad this stuff was before.

From a messaging perspective, Starbucks did a good job.

1. The “real food, simply delicious” tagline is short and effective. 

2. The imperfect printing of semi-transparent white ink on an unbleached bag looks eco-friendly and healthy.

3. The cursive script used for the letter is friendly and personal. 

4. The casual tone and short sentences sound like a real person speaking, rather than a corporation.

5. The message itself is unpretentious, especially the line saying that this is a good place to start.  Starbucks acknowledges that pastries aren’t healthy but at least they are trying to take some of the artificial ingredients out while maintaining great taste.