11A – Idea Napkin No. 1

You:
My name is Arlene Chen and I am a senior studying advertising at the University of Florida. I am good at being hard-working, staying organized, and efficiently managing my time. I am also proficient in utilizing my communication skills, creating digital media content, and developing advertising campaigns. In my spare time, I enjoy building human relationships with customers and strengthening entrepreneurial alliances. Aspiring to work as an account executive or marketing researcher for a social media company, I am passionate about cultivating a following on social media platforms and creating content and devising a platform strategy. I am also striving towards debunking the notion that “advertising is pointless,” emphasizing the importance of how it helps keeps the customers and consumers aware of new products. Being an officer for many student organizations has given me the opportunity to create and manage digital content, engaging with members of the organization through social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

What are you offering to customers?

Customer’s unmet needs will be solved through Starbucks accentuating the intent of the brand, such as saving the rainforest by purchasing ethically traded coffee. Starbucks has been working towards developing a campaign emphasizing the corporation’s use of ethical sourcing and environmental stewardship for their products. The brand has strayed away from traditional advertising within the past few years and can shift their focus towards communicating their brand purpose. The needs and motivations of consumers include a quiet environment to hold a conversation with family, friends, and colleagues, private time to his or her-self with free Wi-Fi and something to drink, or a unique present or gift for a friend. By promoting the lifestyle of their consumers, Starbucks provides a friendly and relaxed atmosphere and consistency throughout their stores. The main points that Starbucks focuses on when advertising include quality-based differentiation, excellent customer service, and a high focus on customer orientation in order to solve this issue.

Who are you offering it to?

The demographic for Starbucks generally has very high income and is senior in age. By opening primarily in upscale neighborhoods, Starbucks target demographic is urban and affluent, on-the-go professionals who tend to work office jobs. The age range for men and women are ages 22-60, and the life-cycle stages ranges from young, single people not living at home to older married couples with dependent children. This is the demographic audience due to the fact that consumers with higher income have higher disposable incomes compared to those with lower incomes. The psychographic consists of those that are heavily involved in the arts and charity along with making great efforts to be environmentally and socially responsible. They are highly likely to participate in AIDS benefits in every store and are serious coffee drinkers or those that prefer an upscale coffee market. Starbucks focuses on the gourmet coffee drinker and consistently expands their products in order to appeal to consumers who purchase the product for taste and quality.

Why do they care?
Customers will purchase the product or service because Starbucks products appeal to what consumers want both qualitatively and quantitatively. Consumers tend to lean towards Starbucks not only for the products- mainly the beverages, but for the experience as well. What Starbucks embodies that is important towards the audience is that they have packaged something that is relied on by many- caffeine, and made it appeal towards a larger intended audience. To appeal to the target audience and encourage them to purchase merchandise, Starbucks highlights its products through social media posts and viral marketing campaigns. The brand has an enviable social media strategy that has resulted in staggering numbers of insight on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Starbucks has utilized consistent branding, and despite the platform that is visited, it is evident that the brand belongs to Starbucks itself. All of the corporation’s social channels have the same look, feel, and tone towards them as the stores do. The brand targets those with higher income, resulting in them having higher disposable income as well, to purchase products.

What are your core competencies?
What sets Starbucks products aside from its competitors is the fact that the corporation offers limited edition drinks, along with Instagrammable menu items. Against competitors, Starbucks does not follow the traditional rules of advertising as opposed to Dunkin Donuts, which emphasizes its products through ad campaigns and traditional media, such as magazines and flyers. Starbucks has appealed to a large target market by offering customers luxury in the form of a coffee beverage, along with a “home away from home,” to do work or take time for themselves. The elimination of online retailing enables the store to return as the third place in consumers’ minds, with the first being home, second as the office, and the third as a place to relax and grab a drink like Starbucks. Competitors struggle to provide the experience that Starbucks does, as the “third place” away from home and the workplace. Compared to major competitors, Starbucks sets itself apart through its brand philosophy, strategy, and communication. Starbucks is constantly adapting it products to changing consumers tastes and preferences, which has resulted in their unrivaled success.

I believe these elements fit together because they are all components of a situation analysis, or a collection of methods that managers use to analyze an organization’s internal and external environment to understand the organization’s capabilities, customers, and business environment. It also provides an overview of a company compared to similar organizations in the marketplace, and significantly increases the possibility of addressing the appropriate audience with the proper message and media. By enabling advertising strategists to better identify the organization’s strengths and weaknesses, assess the public perceptions of the organization, and construct plans to revitalize the organization and move forward, a company is able to raise brand awareness and increase demand for their products. Through analyzing the “behind the scenes” of devising an advertising campaign, it encompasses many specific tactics that must be completed in order to meet the goals and objectives determined by the advertising strategy. By assessing a company’s strengths and weaknesses, strategic advertisers can focus on issues and messages that resonate strongly with their target audience, which is crucial in both entrepreneurship and marketing tactics.