8A – Solving The Problem

Selected Opportunity: Starbucks in the United States have the opportunity to enhance their social media marketing tactics for advertisements they deliver because the company does not follow traditional methods of advertising. 

Solution to the Problem: A solution would be for Starbucks to convey to the audience and target market is communicating their brand purpose. Rather than emphasizing and maintaining the focus on the products and services, which enables competitors to quickly adapt to, brands like Starbucks should accentuate the focus and intent of the brand. Instead of creating a generic coffee advertisement focusing on the smell of fresh ground coffee, a new seasonal product, or how one is saving the rainforest by purchasing ethically traded coffee, Starbucks highlight’s the brand’s purpose of connection. The core marketing strategy focuses on segmentation, targeting, positioning, and differentiation. Starbucks also utilizes the extended marketing mix, with beverages being the most profitable for the corporation. Starbucks has strayed away from traditional advertising within the past few years, due to the fact that they did not require it to promote the brand. To appeal to the target audience and encourage them to purchase merchandise, the products should be highlighted through social media posts or viral marketing campaigns. Through the development of at least one major digital campaign that goes viral will strengthen the brand through it being highlighted through social media posts or marketing campaigns. If this strategy was implemented, its success can be monitored through social media engagement, such as likes, comments, and shares on Facebook and retweets on Twitter. Another campaign example is developing personas for other limited-edition Starbucks drinks, having them respond or interact with consumers in order to promote engagement on social media. Starbuck’s primary method of engaging with consumers is through Twitter, due to its convenience as a platform for customer service for sending responses.

Product/Service: The service could be an enviable social media strategy that can result 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 company’s mission, message, and goals are consistent across platforms, and their social media success is unrivaled in comparison with other coffeehouses. 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 promote their seasonal products, the brand posts and promotes the new product through social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to receive high engagement. Despite the fact that Starbucks uses all forms of traditional media, social media is one of their top used ones. The media strategies for Starbucks include building the brand in mediums which involve consumers more actively in the marketing process, to extend the number of mediums in which brand quality is portrayed and gaining maximum exposure of the brand in order to increase revenue. Starbucks should combine its forms of media for advertising, including television and magazines. Social media is a tool that is utilized by corporations and has become a predominantly driving force for Starbucks proficient public relations on social media. The brand can use them to optimize customer engagement through focusing on customer wants and needs, while utilizing a less is more strategy for posting online on various platforms.