Welcome to the first ever Barcelona Creative Group Battle of the Brands (#bcgbrandbattle). Since we are only a couple of days from Christmas, I saw it only fitting to choose a holiday product – the Peppermint Mocha. I don’t know about you, but it’s hard not to get excited when Starbucks brings back their holiday cups each year. For me it means it’s time to think about snow and Christmas, but more importantly it means the Peppermint Mocha is back!

My team members at BCG are also fans. So, when McDonald’s started advertising their Peppermint Mocha it seemed only natural that we had to compare the two – give the new comer the benefit of the doubt. You could say I went into this battle biased, but I honestly went into it open-minded. You never know, right?

I won’t lie – I am a huge fan of the Starbucks Peppermint Mocha and probably average 2 to 3 per week during the month of December. It’s my Friday treat and a staple of my holiday shopping when I need a warm up or a burst of energy. I know I’m not alone. How could you not love that combination of chocolate, peppermint and whip cream – all in a fancy wintery red cup.

The challenge was to determine which brand had the better Peppermint Mocha – Starbucks or McDonald’s. We had some team members try the Peppermint Mocha and others test the Peppermint Hot Chocolate. I can tell you that it was absolutely no contest… Starbucks Peppermint Mocha just simply ROCKS!

First, let’s discuss the packaging. In the words of Clark W. Griswald, “It’s all part of the experience Russ!” There really is no contest when comparing that winter-themed Starbucks cup to the standard McDonald’s coffee cup. I have to equate it to buying an Apple product and the fact that I have just as much fun examining and opening the packaging it comes in as the product itself (Apple never ceases to amaze me by the way – but that’s a whole other battle!)

Now, the drink itself… McDonald’s – can I please get some peppermint flavor and chocolate with that Peppermint Mocha? It was like drinking coffee (or milk) without the rest of the elements that make the Peppermint Mocha so glorious. It just didn’t measure up. There wasn’t one BCG team member who preferred McDonald’s to Starbucks. I will give McDonald’s credit for one thing – their advertising makes their version of these Peppermint drinks look fabulous and yummy, but as we all know, looks can be deceiving. And in this case, also disappointing. At the end of the day, your ads are not enough and the Starbucks experience dominated this BCG Battle of the Brands challenge!

The winner of the first ever Barcelona Creative Group #bcgbrandbattle was unanimous… Congratulations to the Starbucks Peppermint Mocha! Sorry McDonald’s, but I’d have to say that if you’re going to give your holiday treat the same name, it had better measure up. Ironically, as I write this I am enjoying my very own Starbucks Peppermint Mocha.

But, in the spirit of fair competition, I ask all of you to vote for who makes your favorite Peppermint Mocha?

Join us for next month’s BCG Battle of the Brands (#bcgbrandbattle). It’s our new thing for 2012 – we’re big on starting new year’s resolutions a little early around this office. In the meantime I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Merry New Year!