Starbucks is no stranger to mobile advertising and is continuing to prove that the medium works for the company by running a new campaign that aims to bolster its VIA Instant Coffee sales.

Starbucks is running the new campaign within TV Guide?s iPhone application. The coffee giant has been using mobile advertising quite a bit in the past to not only drive in-store traffic and sales, but also increase brand awareness.

"The Starbucks Via campaign is interesting as it is mainly an educational informational campaign when mobile consumers are often time constrained and looking for ideas and options and offers," said Simon Buckingham, CEO of Appitalism.

"The campaign assumes that consumer behavior on the mobile Internet has converged with that of the Internet itself which is an informational medium," he said.

"I think this campaign is ahead of consumer behavior on mobile and will therefore be ineffective."

Mr. Buckingham is not affiliated with Starbucks. He commented based on his expertise on the subject.

Starbucks did not respond to press inquiries.

Cup ?o joe
The new mobile campaign from Starbucks promotes the company?s Via Instant Coffee products. The mobile ad reads ?Iced coffee at home, made easy. Learn more.?

When consumers tap on the mobile ad they are redirected to Starbucks? mobile-optimized site where they can learn more about the products.

The company is also sweetening the deal by offering Starbucks Reward members an extra star for each pack of Starbucks VIA Ice Coffee they buy using their registered card. Every time a user reaches 15 stars, they received a free, customized drink.

Through the mobile advertising campaign, Starbucks is also encouraging consumers to join the My Starbucks Rewards club, as well as see what else the company has to offer.

Mobile stride
By continuing to use mobile advertising, Starbucks is aiming to stay top-of-mind.

Nowadays, consumers are increasingly on the go, but always have their mobile device on hand.

Therefore, running targeted and relevant mobile ads is critical.

Starbucks has been heating up the mobile space over the past few years.

Earlier this year, the coffee giant ramped up its mobile strategy and encouraged consumers to sign up for its My Starbucks Rewards program via an in-store call to action.

Via the My Starbucks Rewards program, consumers can earn rewards when they pay with their Starbucks Card. Free drinks and refills are one of the perks of the program (see story).

Most recently, Starbucks let coffee lovers learn more about its blended beverages and see how others remixed their favorite drinks via a mobile advertising campaign.

The coffee giant ran the mobile ads within the Ology iPhone and Android application (see story).

"Mobile is a unique medium so create unique campaigns until such time as the Internet has truly converged," Mr. Buckingham said.

Final Take
Rimma Kats is associate editor on Mobile Marketer, New York