19A – Idea Napkin No. 2

You:

My name is Arlene Chen and I am a senior studying advertising at the University of Florida. I am also proficient in utilizing my communication skills, creating digital media content, and developing advertising campaigns. I am able to apply my organization skills towards both people and projects in all aspects of my work and have never missed a deadline before as a result of being highly organized. 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. In my spare time, I enjoy building human relationships with customers and strengthening my alliances with entrepreneurs. Being an officer for many student organizations has given me the opportunity to create and manage digital content, engaging with members of the said organization through social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. I have hands-on experience with interacting with the target audience on multiple platforms.  

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 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 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. The brand has strayed away from traditional forms of advertising within the past few years and can shift their focus towards communicating their brand purpose and solving the unmet needs of their target audience.

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. The customers are more focused on the health-conscious aspects of the brand, tending to look at the Nutrition Facts for the drinks and food items, along with checking the caffeine.

Why do they care?

Customers purchase Starbucks products and services because they 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. Starbucks has utilized consistent branding, and despite the platform that is visited, it is evident that the brand belongs to Starbucks itself. The brand has an enviable social media strategy that has resulted in staggering numbers of insight on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. 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. Starbucks also markets to those with office jobs to provide beverages on-the-go.

What are your core competencies?

What sets me apart from everyone else is my proficiency in a multitude of skills, including a mixture of digital skills, such as Adobe Premiere Pro, and communication skills. My skills within communication are strong, and it’s simple for me to relate to other people, most frequently my peers. This has benefited me in my officer position as treasurer in charge of being a fiscal liaison. Due to the fact that I was able to quickly identify pain points and challenges between both parties, I was able to establish trust and build relationships, both of which enabled me to be a successful liaison between two sub-organizations in AASU. This also strengthened the relationship between the two, allowing for more collaborations. What I have that nobody else has is the fact that I demonstrate consistency, dependability, and trustworthiness through the sincerity I devote in all of my work. Consistency is key because it develops a sense of trust between two parties. In the market, consistency is business from satisfied customers. I ensure that everything I produce is always top quality by having my behavior reflect my promises and that I am dependable by being on time.

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.

Feedback Memo:
Two main points that I took away from the feedback I received are to focus on promoting a positive environment in which individuals can engage with others and work that will therefore reinforce the idea of a better experience and working towards making sure Starbucks becomes more involved in helping out in important issues that their customers care about and raising awareness. I incorporated the feedback into this idea napkin by offering a clear vision for Starbucks to rebrand their coffee and products as sustainably sourced, while emphasizing the overall convenience and utility of a typical Starbucks location. By incorporating my communication skills and appreciation for networking, I was able to develop my vision in which Starbucks will appeal to the needs, wants, and interests of their customers. What I plan to offer to them as a company is developing a campaign emphasizing the corporation’s use of ethical sourcing and environmental stewardship for their products along with promoting their messages through advertising on social media, due to the fact that , a majority of the market is tech savvy, implying that they use social media frequently. Starbucks views changes as opportunities, rather than future burdens.