Oops. Starbucks brings back Eggnog Latte

Starbucks has eggnog on its face.

The coffee kingpin will bring back its seasonal Eggnog Latte nationwide this month after a customer revolt spread from letters to phone calls to social media. It had dropped the beverage, a seasonal offering since 1986, to try to simplify its expanding menu. "We made a mistake," says spokeswoman Linda Mills. "We are very sorry."

How sorry?

Well, they're not handing out free Eggnog Lattes. But Starbucks hopes to have the drink back in all stores by the week of Nov. 17, says Mills. Because it has always been so popular in the Pacific Northwest, it was re-introduced there Nov. 1. The problem, she says, is quickly getting enough eggnog from suppliers.

The move to very rapidly respond to consumer complaints isn't unusual. Last spring, after the company began selling its lemon cake and pumpkin bread in miniature loaves instead of slices, it got complaints and quickly changed back to the slices.

For retailers in the social media era, instantly responding to consumer gripes is critical. Quick action is especially critical for Starbucks in the holiday season, by far its most profitable period.

Starbucks started hearing eggnog complaints Nov.1 when it began its holiday push at U.S. stores by switching to red cups from its usual. The consumer blowback began with complaints to baristas who had to explain that the beverage had been discontinued, says Mills. It evolved into complaints to its customer call center, e-mails, letters and social media posts on Facebook, Twitter and to its MyStarbucksIdea.com site.

Shannon McMullen tweeted: "Seriously heartbroken this A.M. Just found out Starbucks is not bringing back the eggnog latte. It was the only thing keeping me going."

Starbucks has learned its lesson, says Mills. Many consumers have a very emotional connection to the holidays, "and Starbucks is a part of that tradition."

Meanwhile, the chain also is bringing back the Gingerbread Latte to the Pacific Northwest region — though it still was served in the rest of the country. And next week it will roll out nationally a new Chestnut Praline Latte.

But it's ol' fashioned eggnog, not newfangled Chestnut Praline, that's stealing the buzz.

One corporate branding expert says that Starbucks knows what many companies still need to learn. "All companies need to become more nimble to respond to this kind of feedback," says Tracey Riese, author of Making Brands Work. "Customers can use social media to tell you more about what they want. It's a new way of test marketing."