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Article: THE MARKETING 100: STARBUCKS ICE CREAM: SHARI FUJII
- Article from:
- Advertising Age
- Article date:
- June 29, 1998
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1998 Crain Communications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Neither Starbucks Coffee Co. nor its marketing partner Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream were quite prepared for the initial success of Starbucks ice cream when four premium flavors were introduced in March 1996, with little testing.
Caffe Almond Fudge, Dark Roast Espresso Swirl, Italian Roast Coffee and JavaChip appeared in freezer cases, and with slight publicity the sinfully rich ice creams began to fly off the shelves.
"Sales exploded almost immediately, and within four months we were selling the No. 1 coffee ice cream flavor in the nation," says Shari Fujii, 35, a veteran of Walt Disney Co. and Kraft Foods recruited in 1996 as marketing manager for Starbucks Ice ...