AdAge reports, “John Moore, a former Starbucks marketer, estimated that between 12% and 15% of customers are drip-coffee drinkers, and that each of the company’s 7,100 locations serves about 800 people a day. Those figures would set a conservative giveaway estimate at 568,000. Starbucks’ cost per cup is about 30¢, according to several executives familiar with the matter, which would put the cost of the giveaway at about $170,000.”

Speculators agree that $170k for the java giant is a very small cost, and considering many consumers purchase more than just coffee – an estimated one in six – Starbucks’ profit loss was not truly a loss at all. The company gained exposure around Election Day, while brewing up impressive buzz.