Wake up and smell the coffee.

...I use the expression loosely as I'm about to talk about Starbucks. As I've mentioned before, having lived in Italy I am a blatant coffee snob, and Starbucks isn't coffee that I would in any way go out of my way for.

But, they do play a role, and they are also doing a good job in the digital space.  So full marks awarded to them for initiative and using paid for digital spaces to drive brand engagement and offline sales. I've just spotted this ad on Facebook.

Smart.

It re-inforces fairtrade =  associations of social conscience for Starbucks.

It gives something away = people love free things, BUT

It's conditional "with purchase" = drive sales

It's appropriate to it's context...

It asks you to RSVP = interaction/ involvement.

No idea how long the ad's been up but almost 31k people have said yes already.  (UPDATE: 1hour later, post Friday lunchtime and it's now at 36k) Even if a small percentage of those people actually remember and do claim their muffin, the additional foot fall, sales, reminder of the Starbucks experience are all more than likely to easily offset the cost of those free muffins.