I’ll admit that a couple of years ago, I ditched my habit of watching “The Today Show” in favor of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” I kinda like it’s loose style, even if the guests tend to be the same.
Now it seems, Starbucks likes it too and is making it official. From The New York Times:
Starbucks is becoming a naming sponsor of “Morning Joe,” in what is the closest integration between an advertiser and a national news program in recent memory. Harkening back to the “Camel News Caravan,” an NBC news roundup sponsored by a cigarette manufacturer in the 1950s, graphics and voice-overs will tell viewers that “Morning Joe” is “brewed by Starbucks.”
But coffee beans have not been sprinkled across the show’s logo until now. Along with several Starbucks graphics and mentions during each hour of the 6 to 9 a.m. program, Mr. Griffin indicated other possible pairings in the future. The anchors and the coffee company may team up on charitable initiatives. And the program may be broadcast from Starbucks locations when it travels, as it did last year for the political conventions and this year for the inauguration. The deal also includes promotions at MSNBC.com.
It’ll be interesting to see how they handle it if Starbucks is ever at the center of a controversial news story.