The Merrying Kind

Spotted at the bottom of the full-page Starbucks ad in today’s New York Times:

 

Yes, that’s a verbed “merry”—and, just as mysteriously, a capitalized one.

“Let’s Merry” is Starbucks’ holiday campaign theme this year, but anthimeria—the use of a word outside its customary part of speech—is always in season with advertisers. (See “Rethink Possible,” “Engineering Amazing,” “Enjoy the Go,” “The Do Inside,” and the unforgettable “Bare-Knuckled Bucket of Does.”) I’m guessing that Starbucks verbified “merry” not just to catch our attention (or to annoy some of you) but to communicate action. Here’s the press release:

This year, Starbucks will make the season come alive with Starbucks Cup Magic, an augmented reality app customers can download for free and use to discover Starbucks holiday characters found on iconic red cups, coffee bags and signage. Customers can watch beloved holiday characters leap to life in various merry holiday scenes. From carolers singing holiday tunes, to an ice skater practicing her spins, to a boy and his dog having a wonderful time sledding down a hill, the Starbucks Cup Magic app allows customers to interact with Starbucks characters in a festive and fun way, Starbucks-style, for the very first time.

You can also merry old-school.

Let’s Merry tumbler, $10.95.

From the photo evidence, “Let’s Merry” is an international theme.

Hand-drawn sign, Japan. Photo from James’ Empty Blog.

 

TV spot, Korea.

To be sure, the campaign has inflamed some Grinchy grammar purists. The I Hate Starbucks discussion board is frothing with indignation: “That is the DUMBEST slogan ever! And they cant [sic] use proper grammar!? maybe [sic] those execs need to go back to 1st grade.”

By the way, Starbucks’ holiday beverage flavors—Peppermint Brownie Cake Pop, Chocolate Crème Whoopie Pie, Gingerbread Latte—provide an opportunity to ponder another recently invented word: drinkification. “We see see the emerging opportunity to ‘snackify’ beverages and ‘drinkify’ snacks as the next frontier in food and beverage convenience,” PepsiCo’s chairman and CEO, Indra Nooyi, told the Wall Street Journal last December. (PepsiCo and Starbucks have had a joint venture arrangement since 1994.)

Comments

[rootlesscosmo]

That's unquestionably New York--Central Park, brownstone apartment buildings--in the Korean ad. I wonder why. Are Korean TV viewers likely to recognize it, even tough it lacks iconic New York places like Times Square or the Empire State Building? Or is it supposed to look unfamiliar? I don't get this choice of visual elements.

[Nancy Friedman]

@rootlesscosmo: Starbucks is using the same footage and lyrics worldwide, just changing the translation of the motto and modifying the URL at the end.

[Duchesse]

I had a friend who was an actor; I could hear the difference when she said "merry", "marry" and "Mary". This impressed me and still does.

[Eleanor]

I love how the contributors of the "I Hate Starbucks" discussion board seem to be quite comfortable with critisising the use of Starbucks' improper English, yet it would seem, are still overcoming the battle of their own English language use.
My favourites so far are "at lease mine..." and the confusion of the definition of "Merry" as "Archaic" in "3. Archaic. causing happiness; pleasant; delightful" and then in use as "3. Lets archaic."
Perhaps the authors of this board would like to concentrate more on straightening their own English out before attempting to rectify the choices of others?

[Jenne]

Interesting, it looks like the Japanese holiday flavors are different--Toffee Nut Latte, Gingerbread Latte, and something called Cranberry White Mocha (ew).

(These all were written in phonetic English rather than translated, in case of interest)