Product Placement Is Also Another One of Starbuck’S Marketing Strategies

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STARBUCKS

“It’s Not Just Coffee. It’s Starbucks,” is the current tagline for Starbuck’s campaign.

Starbucks has only been around since 1971, but has carried the title of “largest coffeehouse in the world” for many years. Everyday, millions of Americans purchase Starbucks coffee to and from work because of convenience, high-end quality, and brand. However, Starbucks did not engage in a mass marketing campaign to build their brand. Instead, they capitalized on creating personal relationships with customers to ensure that patrons will feel the need to come back. Naomi Klein’s “No Logo,” discusses the branding phenomenon of Starbucks and how it became a “superbrand” as well as a lifestyle.

Starbucks is a conjured up to be “A comforting third place” It’s not a workplace, and not home either. Starbucks has created a place where people can network, relax, and enjoy the simple pleasures of a cup of coffee. The employees or “baristas” are trained to deliver superior service. Their comforting yet modern atmosphere, in addition to high quality coffee and superior customer service, generate a distinguished nook that distinguishes

Starbucks from other coffee vendors. This “Starbucks Experience” is one of the main reasons why Starbucks because such a hit this century. As Naomi Klein describes, “The

Starbucks Model” highlights that fact that Starbucks is a place of

“coffee…community…camaraderie…connection.”

Starbucks marketing tactics is not to launch a mass marketing campaign. Instead, they took the more personal approach. Big multi-million dollar companies like Nike will spend up to 11% of their sales revenue on advertising, but Starbucks only spends about

1.4% of their sales revenue on advertising. They touched every customer with “one coffee Chan 2 at a time.” Also, a major marketing tactic that Starbucks engages in is the locations of their venues. They dropped clusters of Starbucks in populous urban areas, even if it already has cafes and espresso bars. They are willing to saturate an area with Starbucks outlets, even if it causes drops in individual sales. Starbucks has established branches in places that have high traffic even if it means higher rent and more competition. This marketing strategy of high visibility and presence allows Starbucks to get its name out. Starbucks started with just one store location in 1971, and grew to about 275 outlets 20 years later. Now, there are about 15,750 stores in 44 different countries. Not only does Starbucks have a common presence in the United States, but also in other countries. Starting from the beginning of

1920s, Starbucks has embarked on its plan for globalization; a very profitable area for branding and expansion. For example, in China, Chinese people tend to like Western culture. Because of this Chinese’s mentality of “wanting to be Westernized,” many areas have adopted the ‘Starbucks phase,” resulting in a titantic rise of Starbucks in the Asia continent. This massive globalization tactic has brought more media and attention to the company -- another big advertising tactic.

Product placement is also another one of Starbuck’s marketing strategies. Starbucks products can be seen on television shows, such as “West Wing”, and movies like “Devil

Wears Prada.” In our previous readings, this effective strategy of product placement makes the consumer associate a particular product with an emotional tie that is created with that movie. For example in “Devil Wears Prada,” Meryl Streep’s character, Miranda Priestly,

Editor in Chief of a popular fashion magazine, always orders Starbucks. Aspiring fashionistas will want to emulate this sensation and so they will buy Starbucks products. By buying a product, it will bring them closer to someone they desire to be. This is a form of Chan 3 subliminal messaging. Indirectly, Starbucks is advertised in the movie even though that is not the main message of the movie. Starbucks has successfully adopted the method of product placement to advertise their products.

Another smart move that Starbucks established early on was their alliance with

Barnes and Nobles. Barnes and Nobles wanted a café to allow customers to enhance their book browsing experience. Barnes and Noble and Starbucks both emphasize their superior atmosphere and customer service, thus Barnes and Noble and Starbucks seemed like a natural pairing. Many Barnes and Nobles now have a Starbucks café area that features comfortable seating, classy music, aesthetically pleasing décor, electrical outlets and some even have wireless access. Not only has this partnership boosted sales for Starbucks, but

Barnes and Nobles as well.

STARBUCKS PRINT ADS

This ad emphasizes perfection. If your coffee isn’t done right, then Starbucks will do it over.

It also specifically caters to individuals. Starbucks is willing to create your own coffe to Chan 4 your liking. Additionally, the last line is essentially saying that if the coffee is ntot perfect then, the customer is at another coffee place. In other words, Starbucks is perfect.

There has been a lot of controversy with the prince of Starbucks coffee. This ad fights back at the high price that customers complain about. The price you pay is for Starbucks quality coffee.

Starbucks is showing their gratitude for their customers and also flaunting their reputation in the coffee industry. Chan 5

MY PRINT AD OVERVIEW

By creating emotional ties and brand loyalty, consumers have stayed with Starbucks for many years. In recent campaigns, Starbucks is emphasizing on the “perfect” coffee created just for every individual. Essentially, it is personalized to perfection. I wanted to create a print advertisement that takes a different route from their traditional campaign scheme. Starbucks has established many branches and thus there is a Starbucks virtually ever 5 mile radius. It is hard to escape the prevalence of Starbucks. I want to take advantage of this aspect. Thus, this print advertisement shows a staircase labyrinth. Each staircase leads to another Starbucks no matter which one you take. Also, the tagline, “It’s not just anywhere. It’s Everywhere,” plays on their tag line “It’s not just coffee. It’s

Starbucks.” This version of a parody will attract consumers because its complicated nature Chan 6 is something different from the norm. Starbucks ads are normally a plain statement that is direct and to the point. The plethora of staircases suggests that no matter what path you take, Starbucks will be part of your journey to your destination, it is hard to avoid. My print advertisement overall does not follow the classicism style of simplicity, symmetry, or order.

I took on a more post modern, surreal method.

ANALYSIS

This print ad creates a sense of surrealism. This visual features an element of surprise. Stairs are obviously not made that way. With an intricate set of staircases, paired with many Starbucks venues everywhere suggests a startling sensation. Which is grab the attention of viewers. The print ad can also be categorized as a representation of an abstract concept—the thought that Starbucks is everywhere. It is a stretch of the truth, nonetheless, it still carries the iconic message. Through distortion of concrete visual images of complicated staircases, it bears an analogy with the concept of Starbuck’s ubiquitous presence.

The print ad is also full of sharp angles from the staircases and Starbucks venues, which suggests high potency and high activity. These implications will further imply a sense of urgency to stop and look at the print ad.

I also included some usage of subliminal advertising, more specifically, embeds. In the dark areas, I have put the words “Coffee, coffee…” or “Coffee <3” Studies have not proven whether subliminal messaging is effective or not, but to a degree, I believe it does.

The main purpose of my usage of subliminal embeds is so that the viewer will associate

‘coffee’ with ‘Starbucks.’ This type of conditioning leads consumers to think ‘Starbucks’ whenever they are in need of coffee. Chan 7

I also adopted a soft sell strategy of using an image paired with a witty tagline in my advertisement. This technique is more toned down and not as direct as hard sell. The concept is for potential buyers to see the metaphorical interpretation that I have used to associate Starbucks’ presence when coffee choosing. I do not direct explicitly say that

Starbucks is everywhere; instead it is depicted in the image. An attention-grabbing image coupled with a witty tagline will appeal to many consumers.

MESSAGE

The main message of my print advertisement is that Starbucks is everywhere.

Despite recent news of many Starbucks closing, there are still many venues still in business.

The ubiquitous quality of Starbucks in this ad also implies that since Starbucks is everywhere, it is also very convenient for coffee consumers to grab Starbucks whenever.

Instead of focusing on the current campaign of consumer praise and pride on Starbuck’s reputation, I took the route of emphasizing the ubiquitous nature of Starbucks and how it can be convenient for consumers. I believe that this selling point is often overlooked. By capitalizing on this aspect, consumers will further utilize Starbuck’s omnipresence to their advantage.

CONCLUSION

Starbucks has only been around for 38 years, but has an aura of being a superior brand with a great international influence. Since its opening in 1971, it has expanded its products to more than just coffee. Drinking coffee at Starbucks has become a culture trend.

As Naomi Klein describes, Starbucks is a third community, which brings relationships together. Their campaign in the current market is directed to individual consumers, flaunting their reputation and high quality coffee. However, I wanted to take on another Chan 8 outlook to their impact in society—their omnipresent nature. Therefore, I have created a print advertisement that emphasizes on a concept that they have not yet tapped into. In

New York City, Starbucks is just about on every other block, thus purchasing Starbucks products is just about a 5-minute walk from anywhere. This is a major selling point of

Starbucks and I believe that the company should pay more attention to this aspect. The ad contains a complex and distorted set of staircases, which will grab the attention of patrons, since it strays from the norm. The message that lies within the ad is that whichever staircase you choose, a Starbucks is always there. Convenience is a major selling point.

With all these factors taken into consideration, Starbucks has become a mainstream phenomenon without launching a massive marketing campaign. Its locations, quality coffee, corporate values, and superior customer service has brought them a long way, creating what Starbucks is today.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

news." Brandchannel.com | branding resource produced by Interbrand |

brands. 22 June 2009

Klein, Naomi. No Logo No Space, No Choice, No Jobs. New york: Picador, 2002.

Messaris, Paul. Visual Persuasion: The Role of Images in Advertising. 1st ed.

Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc, 1996.