Starbucks' Trenta: A Big Gulp Copycat?

While some foresee big sales for the mega-sized beverages, others say it will dilute the Starbucks brand.

January 27, 2011

SEATTLE €" As Starbucks prepares for its May 3 nationwide launch of its new 31-ounce cup (the "Trenta," which is Italian for 30), some see the new size as a potential huge win for the company, while others see it as inconsistent with the Starbucks brand.


The new drink size, available for iced coffee, iced tea and lemonade, is one ounce less than McDonald's 32-ounce iced McCafes and sweet teas and cost 50 cents more than its current largest drink, the Venti.

Meredith College nutrition professor Susan Fisher said the new size will likely be a hit for the coffee retailer, citing consumers' fascination in everything new.

"The consumer is easily entertained," Fisher said. "Changing anything will bring customers through the door, and there will be a certain number of people who buy it just to see what it€™s like and then throw half of it away."

She said especially if the Trenta fits in a car cupholder, Starbucks drive-thru customers will likely respond enthusiastically to the new size.

However, such a scenario is "anathema" to the founding principles of the "Starbucks experience," said Richard Laermer, author of "2011: Trendspotting for the Next Decade."

"Starbucks is about to lose a lot of customers who will start to see the whole Trenta business as making them seem like a [convenience store]," Laermer said. "And that cheapens the experience."

Laermer said Starbucks' success is partly attributable to its distinction from convenience stores and QSRs. "Yet each month it seems they are crowding the shops with more junk and loud music. Even consumers who normally don't pay attention to details like this are starting to feel cheated," he said.

The Trenta has already launched in 14 states, following a successful pilot-test last summer. David Urban, executive dean and professor of marketing at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Business, said the favorable reaction is a result of consumers searching for value, not a brand experience.

"Even with all of the consciousness about calories, many American consumers still look at quantity for the money as a big purchase driver, and they see the bigger drinks as a better value than smaller ones," Urban said. "What was once a medium drink in many chains is now a small drink, what was a large drink is now a medium drink, and so on."

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement