Starbucks has kids buzzing

To help launch a line of sweet, creamy banana Frappuccinos last month, Starbucks Corp. sponsored a family-oriented community event — a free day at the Phoenix Zoo.

For adults, there were samples of espresso-infused Banana Coconut Frappuccino. But the coffee retailer also set out samples that the kids flocked to: tiny cups of Bananas & Creme Frappuccinos made with banana puree and whipped cream, no coffee.

What made the promotion surprising is that Starbucks, the Seattle-based coffee retailer with more than 11,000 stores, has a longstanding policy of avoiding marketing to kids. The company says it isn’t aiming its new noncoffee Frappuccinos at children. But the promotion shows the challenge Starbucks faces in capitalizing on its growing popularity among families without breaking its pledge. The coffee chain’s written policy says its “overall marketing, advertising and event sponsorship efforts are not directed at children or youth,” although some “community activities” end up reaching kids. The company reviews marketing materials to avoid distributing ones that could be “inadvertently appealing to youth,” the policy says.

Plenty of adults drink Frappuccinos. But the sweetness of the drinks, and the fact that they borrow characteristics from the milkshake and 7-Eleven’s Slurpee, make them particularly appealing to children. Nutrition experts have criticized coffee chains for using sweetened coffee drinks as so-called starter beverages that get children hooked on caffeine. The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a food-industry watchdog, recently complained that Frappuccinos are among the most fat- and calorie-packed items on the Starbucks menu. A 16 oz. grande-size Bananas & Creme has 550 calories and 15 grams of fat. By comparison, the same size chocolate shake at McDonald’s has 580 calories and 14 grams of fat.

Starbucks says that it offers lighter versions of many Frappuccinos and that the new juice line contains no fat and fewer calories than its traditional Frappuccinos. The company says that for further information on caffeine, it refers customers to medical experts because that’s not Starbucks’ area of expertise.

Some coffee chains say nutritional and other concerns shouldn’t stop them from trying to attract young customers. “Better they should get hooked on an ice-blended beverage than maybe something else,” says Michael Coles, president and chief executive of Caribou Coffee Co., a Minneapolis-based coffee chain with 410 stores. Parents have thanked him for giving their kids a place to do homework, he says.

Caribou has added a line of noncoffee ice-blended drinks called Snowdrifts in flavors like Oreo and Mint to appeal to children, Mr. Coles says. Caribou stocks about one-third of its locations with stuffed animals, trucks and other toys to attract families. “Hopefully these kids will grow up in Caribou and think of it as their place,” Mr. Coles says.