Next-door isle stores push parallel promotions
Starbucks and Jamba Juice both offer free tastings here today
Whether by coincidence or design, Hawaii's many side-by-side Starbucks and Jamba Juice both launched a promotion of new products with free offerings early this morning.
Starbucks planned a giveaway of 8-ounce cups of its new Pike Place Roast, named after its first store in Seattle, while Jamba Juice planned to offer free 8-ounce Berry and Mango Peach toppers.
Starbucks was to offer its free roast starting from 6 a.m. in Hawaii for a half-hour as part of a national marketing campaign. Excluded from the promotion were Starbucks inside stores, at airports and on campus.
In addition, a free, hour-long taste-testing of Pike Place Roast was slated for 2 to 3 p.m. today at the Ward Gateway Center Starbucks with coffee master John Wong.
Meanwhile, Jamba was to offer free "toppers" -- blended fruit, soy milk and low-fat yogurt breakfasts topped with granola -- from stores' 5:30 a.m. or 6:00 a.m. openings until 9:00 a.m.
The two companies were once owned and operated in Hawaii by the same parent company under the MacNaughton Group, which continues to run Jamba Juice Hawaii as a joint venture with San Francisco-based Jamba Juice Co.
In 2006, Cafe Hawaii Partners, an affiliate of the MacNaughton Group, sold full ownership of the local isles joint venture back to Starbucks Corp.
Because of that history, Jamba Juice and Starbucks outlets are located next door to each other throughout Hawaii.
It is unclear, from a national level, whether the marketing ventures fell on the same day coincidentally or not.
Jamba Juice had been planning to promote a 21-day breakfast challenge by launching a free breakfast this morning.
Those plans were in the works at least two months ago, according to Sherri Rigg, director of marketing.
Starbucks has 83 stores, including those at the airport, Borders Books, Safeway Kapahulu and Barnes & Noble.
Jamba Juice has 36 stores on all four major islands of Hawaii. All Jamba Juice stores, with the exception of the one at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, were to offer free toppers this morning.