Brand Analysis: Starbucks - Essay Example

? Brand Analysis: Starbucks Introduction There are brands that everyone knows about when you say the during a discussion. When the comes up, then if you have tried them at some point, then you have had an experience, for good or bad, with that brand. This paper will discuss Starbucks as one of the most prevalent coffee brands on the market, not just because of their coffee, but what one remembers when experiencing the brand as well. Part of experiencing a brand is also how it is obtained and, in the case of Starbucks, one usually buys it at a Starbucks store, or even in an affiliate store such as Barnes and Noble bookstore, or a store that is licensed to carry it by the bag. Brand Promise The promise that Starbucks makes is that the customer will get perfect coffee every single time, just the way the customer wants it. Starbucks maintains its own coffee bean farms to make sure the beans will be exactly as required for the coffee products that Starbucks makes for its customers. This means that coffee made around the world in different Starbuck stores, also caters to the local population and culture and, therefore, builds its coffee drinks to suit the customers, but still not deviate from Starbucks core values. As an example, Starbucks put out a notice about the new espresso promise in Dubai, U.A.E. that each cup of coffee will be perfect. Additionally, Starbucks also launched the Starbucks® Blonde Roast which is comprised of the world’s best Arabica beans to provide a lighter coffee that still provides the best of Starbucks’ coffees but with a more mellow taste (Starbucks Newsroom, 2012). Brand Personality The Starbucks brand personality is one projecting a place where you can purchase your coffee and then sit down in the store, relax, chat with friends, while drinking your coffee and maybe have breakfast or lunch at the same time. All Starbucks stores promise to provide clean, and restful stores with plenty of sitting room, should customers need it. Starbucks projects an image of a business, run by people who care about your needs and desires, and will work to see that you get what you want. The idea is to give customers a place away from home to relax, but feel just as comfortable as if they were still home, short of being still in one’s pajamas. Brand Values The value the Starbucks Corporation promotes is that it builds on its values and that it is important to do the right thing. Starbucks is heavily invested in the communities where the stores across the world are located. This year, two stores, one in Los Angeles, California and one in Harlem, New York, will see profits put back into its community for development purposes. Additionally, Starbucks, rather than sending jobs overseas, will open a new roasting facility for its VIA instant coffee product, creating nearly 200 new jobs in Augusta, Georgia. CEO Howard Schultz also has created the ‘Jobs Initiative Program’ which already has raised millions of dollars from 600,000+ customers that will go to a network of loan sources for small businesses. Plenty of similar actions have also taken place around the world, creating a persona of goodwill ambassador for the American people (Gray, 2012). Brand Attributes Starbucks brand attributes are reflected through the different types of coffee drinks created for its diverse consumer base. Additionally, store baristas are trained to provide information on all aspects of the coffee beans used in any coffee drinks and know how to make every drink currently on the menu. Other attributes also include the customer service involved, such as the Starbucks Rewards Card, which records the drinks purchased over time and after about 10 to 15 drinks, customers can get a free drink or are allowed extra creams and other ingredients. With the Starbucks Card, the company is also able to keep in constant contact with customers through surveys and advertising promotions. It’s main attribute is showing the customers that Starbucks cares and wants to know everything possible about how to please the customer. Visual Identity Starbucks has a very unique label that is found on all coffee cups and napkins, in the store itself, and also as part of the outside store sign. When you see the logo from far away, you will still recognize it by its green design with a mermaid in the center on a black background. Her hair covers her breasts on both sides, and the tail, split in half, comes up alongside her on both sides too. She also wears a crown on her head with a single star. The derivative, New Pike Place Roast Coffee, uses the original brown logo from 1970 with a less modest mermaid. Starbucks has put a store in many different high-trafficked areas such as shopping malls, downtown business areas within walking distance from any one given spot, and can also be found in many bookstores that are contracted with Starbucks, as previously noted. There are also stores in college communities which cater to students and professors too. Conclusion Ultimately, Starbucks is a very good example of branding, using a number of factors such as experiential marketing through its varied coffee drinks and tasty meals that it provides to its customers. Starbucks stores have very much the same internal layout so if you went to one store on a continuous basis and then stopped by another one in a different city, you would still feel like you were at home. The decor and furniture will be very much the same from one store to another, and the customer can almost always find a place to sit and relax in the store. Customer service is very personalized and you are guaranteed that you will get the drink that you want, even if they have to make it over again. As part of the Starbucks customer family group, you are made to feel special and cared about, especially when receiving incentives to try new drinks and new products through the use and membership of your Starbucks Rewards Card. Starbucks even caters to the non-coffee drinking crowd by offering teas and cold beverages and if you want, you can also buy the coffee beans in packages from the store and make it yourself at home. Resources Gray, B. (3/26/2012). Starbucks: The Value in Values, Brady Capital Research Online, http://bradycap.com/starbucks-the-value-in-values/ Starbucks Newsroom. (3/14/2012). Starbucks Promises Espresso Perfection in Every Cup, Starbucks Newsroom Online, http://mena.starbucks.com/en/news/starbucks-promises-espresso-perfection-in-every-cup.html Tewell, K., Odom, B. & Snider, K. (2006). Starbucks Marketing Plan, Franklin College, http://www.franklincollege.edu/pwp/BOdom/SampleWorkStarbucks.pdf Read More