The Starbucks Corporation

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When people think of coffee, they think about Starbucks. The Starbucks Corporation has been around since 1971 when the first store opened in Seattle, and continues its phenomenon into the 2000’s with more than 15,000 locations world-wide. (Starbucks Corporation, 2009) In 2006, “Starbucks ranked fourth among the ‘World’s Most Influential Brands’ by Brandchannel.com” (Starbucks Coffee Company, 2008). The physical appearance of the Starbucks brand can be attributed to their siren logo which hangs outside their stores and is printed on all their carry-out cups, coffee mugs, bags of coffee beans, and other merchandise they sell. The siren logo has evolved over the years, and currently is depicted as a green circle with the words STARBUCKS COFFEE and a cropped image of the “more attractive stylized siren” (Deadprogrammer’s Café, 2005) than that depicted in the original Starbucks logo back in 1971. This logo is a major part of Starbuck’s advertising because they do not participate in conventional advertising techniques such as television and billboard ads. Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz believes that experience actually beats advertising, and “the store experience has defined the brand” (Holmes, 2001). People go to Starbucks because they know they are going to get an exceptional cup of coffee or other beverage, high-quality customer service, and an inviting atmosphere.

Meghan,

I really enjoyed your write up on Starbuck. I was so surprised to learn that it has been around since the 1970’s. It is very clear that “brand awareness” (Kotler and Keller, 2009) has been a very effective marketing strategy for this company. Surprisingly, it has never been through massive TV commercials like Dunkin Donuts but via other forms advertisement (word or mouth, etc) that has really made this brand popular. Starbuck’s executive also understood the importance of social media to help keep the brand identity alive by noticing the link between “social engagement and financial performance” (Rubel, 2009). Starbuck’s have also marketed this brand very well, as everyone has heard of or seen a store in their neighborhood by now. I will admit I am not a die-hard loyalist who purchases a cup of coffee daily because that is way too expensive.

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