Coffee

I have to have at least one cup of coffee every day. Most of the time my cravings come because:

1) I'm sleep deprived 

2) I need motivation and energy, or 

3) I get headaches when I don't have it. 

But, sometimes I crave coffee even when I don't have these annoying symptoms. Sometimes I need it just to get through a boring class, or to accompany me on a long car ride, because it tends to "make everything better." However, I usually drink a cup of coffee in about ten minutes, and then it's gone and I'm left feeling the same way I did before, but with $2-5 less in my bank account. I know I'm not alone in this situation. So, here's my question... has coffee become a "need" because it's delicious and warm and people have discovered that it provides energy, or because marketing has created an emotion attached to coffee? 

The interior of Biggby and Starbucks locations both have unique design and features, but they both inspire feelings of comfort, safeness, coziness, and intimacy. It's where we go to get out of the rain and read a book, it's where we go to hold meetings or to catch up with friends, but most importantly, it's where we go to relax with a cup of joe. Being a marketing major, I know that marketers sell emotion. It's one of the biggest ways to attract a customer and to keep them coming back. Coffee chains have done a great job of creating and selling emotion. Even if we don't have a moment to go enjoy the comfort of a coffee shop on a rainy day, the feeling of holding the cup in our hands has become a comfort zone. Going to the location and smelling the fresh brews and the velvetized milk, and then getting your own cup to carry around with you and hold provides enjoyment and happiness...even if it's only for ten minutes.

I know that not everyone falls into the trap. Many people don't drink coffee, some only drink it in the morning to wake up, and others make their own and don't fall into the cycle of purchasing a certain brand. However, I think many people can relate to the feeling of having a purchased cup of coffee in their hand that somebody else made. It just feels good, and somehow the coffee I could make at home, the same espresso, and the same milk I could buy, tastes ten times better. It's all about the logo and the brand. That's good positioning...and that's good marketing.