STARBUCKS: THE BRAND THAT LAUNCHED THE HANGOUT CULTURE

Learn how Starbucks’ unique products and innovative marketing strategies made it a go-to brand for all coffee lovers.

Let’s play a game, shall we? Imagine you have planned to go shopping with your friends and as always, the rest of the group is running terribly late. 30 years ago, this would have been an awkward situation. But today, all you have to do is walk into the nearest Starbucks and entertain yourself.

This massive shift in how coffee shops are supposed to work was brought in by Starbucks. A coffee shop chain, inspired by the Italian Coffee bars, Starbucks has managed to break every rule in the book and almost garner a cult following.

That's why Digital by Diksha Vohra deep-dived into the journey of Starbucks and analyzed some of their branding and marketing strategies so that you can take inspiration to create a ground-breaking brand too.

The Starbucks Story

If someone told you that a coffee shop clocked net revenue of 26.51 billion USD and has more than 32 thousand outlets across the world including one at CIA, would you believe them? That’s Starbucks for you.

Starbucks’ growth can be attributed to many factors right from the advantage of being an early player in the market, the novelty of the products offered, and an unmatched in-store experience to date. However, what stands out for us is the company’s focus on marketing and branding.

A few landmark qualities of Starbucks that made the brand so iconic are :

Consistency in Branding

You know you have done it right when every tall coffee cup becomes synonymous with your brand. Customers get a consistent experience across every Starbucks outlet.

From the coffee cup size to the taste to even how the staff is dressed, all the outlets project one brand image. Starbucks became a monolith by demonstrating that a customer can experience the same coffee from two outlets, miles apart.

Even on digital and offline platforms, the company maintains a consistent voice to cement the brand well in the market.

Price Factor

Starbucks was well ahead of the curve, figuring out that customer retention is not just about offering the lowest price point. It is about the value, and if you market the product well, you can find paying customers for any price range.

Starbucks has sold its product at a higher price range since the inception of the brand. The coffee chain managed to define its value proposition to the coffee enthusiasts such as quality beans, unique coffee-making process, and unmatched experience to justify that price.

So, you don’t have to price your products low - Companies need to demonstrate that they are worth it. Generate meaningful content to justify your value to your consumers. If you want to know how, contact Digital by Diksha Vohra for unique content marketing strategies.

Unique Offerings

Like we told earlier, Starbucks’ biggest advantage has been that it threw out most rules in the book and defined its own path. The company was the first to standardized coffee sizes (Tall, Grande, Venti), introduced holiday-themed cups, and launched the “Stay as long as you want policy” leading to the advent of the hangout culture.

Starbucks never saw itself just as a coffee chain meant to sell beverages but took on the role of a pivotal trendsetter in the cafe culture, knowing that it will attract more customers and fill a gap in the existing F&B market.

Leverage Digital Marketing

To keep up with the trend for a 50-year old company should be hard, right? Especially when the Gen-Z and millennial generations keep changing the trends every day. Well, not for this conglomerate. Starbucks has aced the game of digital marketing with curated content for each social media platform, engaging with users, and running contests to improve the brand’s presence on the Internet.

By reposting customer content, hopping on all major trends, and putting meaningful content across platforms, there is now a Starbucks’ post on every corner of the Internet as well. 

Starbucks is a market leader in the coffee and cafe business by a huge margin. The company is a marketing handbook for anyone who wants to understand how to sell and convert one-time users into regular visitors.

The company has leveraged marketing strategies and market knowledge to become a path-breaking company in the last five decades.

Connect with us today to grow your business into the “Starbucks” of your field.