Starbucks Made an Amazing Super Bowl Ad and Is Giving Away Free Coffee. It’s a Master Class in Emotional Intelligence

“The Starbucks you love is ready.”

That’s one of the concluding lines to Starbucks’ brand new Super Bowl ad, “Hello Again,” which the company shared yesterday on YouTube. It’s actually a pre-game ad, as confirmed by the company’s Global Chief Brand Officer, Tressie Lieberman, in an interview with Ad Age.

Lieberman also confirmed that Starbucks will run another ad after the Super Bowl, informing rewards members that they can get a free tall iced or hot coffee on the following day (Monday).

Ok, that’s great news if you’re a Starbucks fan. But let’s say you’ve never been a Starbucks fan…or, that you’re one of the many former fans who feel the coffee company lost its way over the years.

Well, there’s a good chance this new ad will speak to you.

The ad is set to the song “Thunderstruck” by rock group AC/DC. It opens with a Starbucks barista opening a store in early morning darkness, followed by quick, successive scenes of baristas preparing drinks and customers enjoying drinks. Baristas smile, laugh, and dance as they work. Customers smile and dance with their kids as they pick up their orders. The message of the ad is short and punchy. The voiceover artist’s delivery is poetic.

The whole thing is quite…emotional. Strike that. It’s emotionally intelligent.

(If you enjoy this article, consider signing up for my free emotional intelligence course.)

Remember, emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and manage emotions effectively. Like general intelligence, emotional intelligence is often thought of in terms of solving a problem or achieving a goal.

Since he took over late last year, new Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol’s primary goal has been to restore the company to its roots. Niccol says the company has “drifted from its core,” and needs to get “back to Starbucks.”

That’s what makes this ad so great.

It’s designed, not so much to inform, but to touch you on an emotional level. Starbucks wants to remind you of who they once were, why their customers skyrocketed them from another small coffee chain to the biggest coffeehouse on the planet.

It wants to make you feel good about Starbucks, so that you’re ready to give them a shot. Or, another shot, depending on your experience with the brand. And they’re making it as easy as possible to do by giving away free coffee.

The goal? If you watch the ad and come in for a coffee, you’ll either create or rekindle a positive relationship with Starbucks.

So, what’s the takeaway for you?

If you run a company or a marketing team, it’s easy to get lost in the complexity of communicating many things. Interestingly, though, Lieberman says the new Starbucks ad started with a simple directive: “Celebrate what makes Starbucks, Starbucks.”

So, remember that simple is best: Focus on how you make the customer feel. Then, give them a chance to build on that experience.

Do this right, and you’ll inspire new and former customers alike to give you a shot. And if you deliver on your promise, you’ll be building a brand that customers love.