Do you like coffee? Well, whether you like it or not, you must have heard of Starbucks.
Yes, this coffee brand is famous for ethically sourcing, roasting, and branding the highest quality Arabica coffee in the whole planet.
This brand started in 1971 and provided the highest quality coffee to US consumers, but today the business has well expanded to more than 23 thousand stores serving in almost 72 countries.
But is this possible by just serving coffee? Of course not.
Starbucks has a superpower, and that is their marketing strategy. It tremendously played a significant role in positioning Starbucks as the number one coffee shop in the world.
As what Howard Schultz the founder of Starbucks said, “Because communication is meant to be elegant”.
Today, let’s check out the secret communication formula of this world famous brand.
The Starbucks’ Four Ps:
- The first P is the Product. Yes, this is one of the several critical factors in their vast expansion. Although they have worked on other factors, too, wait! Do you think that with a low-quality product, it is even possible to have such massive expansion? Obviously no. Starbucks serves high-quality products that makes their audience wanting for more.
- Price is also a notable factor in this list. They sell their products at almost premium prices. But why? Because they have realized that the demographic that patronize Starbucks has more purchasing power. In studies, it can be observed that in 1990 only 3% of coffee was sold at premium prices, and in 2000 the 40% of coffee was sold at that premium rate.
- There is no doubt that Starbucks is good with promotions. Yes, Promotion is the third P, and Starbucks owns it. They utilize every platform to promote their products. Starbucks’ marketing media mix helps their brand be recognized, and this consistent message makes them stand out every time.
- And last but not least, the Place. The idea of a Starbucks ambience is also worth discussing. Their attempts to build a space where people require to come and hang out and relax. They achieve this by creating a similar situation in every Starbucks location.
Consistent consumer experience and branding
Starbucks is well known and recognized wherever it is present, regardless of country or place, because their vibe is consistent in what they do with the brand.
The classic emblematic green logo always stays unchanged; hence whenever someone sees the green siren, they will recognize it’s a Starbucks cup.
Loyalty programs:
Starbucks ‘ loyalty programs are also something that added value to their marketing strategies. In these programs, the incentives they provide include in-store refills, gifts, free items and discounts, and several other deals that often ensure consumers know they benefit from the Starbucks ecosystem.
These promotions are taking place across all of their social media platforms too. Starbucks rewards customers for sharing and posting content relevant to their brand. The brand constantly retweets and replies to their followers. They also do giveaways to their patrons regularly.
Social media promotion
It is a fact that online advertisements are in trend nowadays, and Starbucks has built a solid social media culture and advancements that the company is proud of.
In Starbucks social media strategy, they make sure that they create such a platform and culture that enables user-generated content across all channels. They make sure that what they post is engaging with their customers.
They also create a good number of content and break it into pieces to use and reuse on various sites to focus on different types of users. The style is very distinct, attractive, and cohesive.
Mobile app
Starbucks recognizes that their customers are always on the go. A large chunk of their consumer demographic uses mobile phones as their primary source of information. So for them, they set a very sound strategy to produce their own Starbucks app. That makes it easy for customers to get their orders in an instant.
The Starbucks app lets the company offer all the benefits of a loyalty card, a referral program, and a customer rewards program within same platform. It is a simple model of the more you use the app, the more deals and free drinks you get.
Socially active
Starbucks holds the title as one of the most popular and active brands for people. They are expanding fast, but they are also considering their social responsibility.
Starbucks is proudly LGBTQ-friendly and has built its stores as safe havens for people of all preferences.
“We have no patent on anything we do, and anything we do can be copied by anyone else. But you can’t copy the heart and the soul and the conscience of the company.” “We look at the brand not as a piece of advertising, but everything we do communicates who Starbucks is.
Howard Schultz, Starbucks Founder
