The first interview provided an excellent grounding point for analysis. It began with the supposed “goals” of Starbucks. It was obvious that Starbucks was a corporation built for the purchase of gaining revenue, but the purpose of the research was to find out how they have become so successful. After analyzing the data, it can be concluded that Starbucks makes money by creating an establishment of comfort, regularity, and community and by use of an excellent advertising campaign. Starbucks is a franchise that values itself on being a part of the community. This is supported by the many events organized by the first informant and the location of the establishments in the most bustling parts of a town or city. During the interview, the topic of how Starbucks went about choosing its locations surfaced. The company supposedly pays people to sit at street corners and count traffic for a day, and then compare those numbers to various other intersections in the area. By the use of this method, Starbucks is able to work itself into the most active areas of a community. Another interesting point of the argument is the company’s assertion of itself as a “third place”, a place other than work and home where a customer can relax. This is why Starbucks has small tables and couches set up in their establishments. This provides a reliable hangout place for a variety of people, but it seems that the most active customers are in their teens, as referenced in the second interview. Teenagers can come after school to socialize and talk about their days, or they can come at night to watch their friends perform at one of the small concerts that Starbucks hosts so often. Now, the first informant stated that the last thing Starbucks wants is money- their main goal is to become connected with the community. They have proven successful with their supposed “main” goal, but an analysis of the company’s advertising and public image campaign tells otherwise.
The above image is not an actual Starbucks ad, but it isn’t a stretch. In fact, Starbucks has little to no printed or televised advertisements, so how do they sell so much? Starbucks takes a more subtle approach: product placement. Ever since the mid-nineties, Starbucks has been a cultural juggernaut, appearing the in the hands of countless movie, television, and music icons. Director David Fincher deliberately hid a Starbucks cup in every scene of his film Fight Club in order to parody their method of product placement. Starbucks is brilliant in its advertising in that it portrays the message that Starbucks is cool without sticking it in your face. By placing itself in the media, the people who first begin to drink it are generally the most economically gifted, and having money generally correlates with being popular. Therefore, the more trendy and influential people seen drinking Starbucks, the more product they will sell. However, most products that are viewed as “trendy” are often rejected by a minority of people who are more “anti-establishment” than the average consumer. This is why Starbucks appeals itself as an ecological-friendly, fair-trade advocating corporation (their actual accordance with these institutions is negligible, but Starbucks is not about the economic stability of a small village in Ethiopia, its about selling a product). By appealing to both of these groups, Starbucks has become the corporate and social powerhouse it is today.
Analysis
The first interview provided an excellent grounding point for analysis. It began with the supposed “goals” of Starbucks. It was obvious that Starbucks was a corporation built for the purchase of gaining revenue, but the purpose of the research was to find out how they have become so successful. After analyzing the data, it can be concluded that Starbucks makes money by creating an establishment of comfort, regularity, and community and by use of an excellent advertising campaign.Starbucks is a franchise that values itself on being a part of the community. This is supported by the many events organized by the first informant and the location of the establishments in the most bustling parts of a town or city. During the interview, the topic of how Starbucks went about choosing its locations surfaced. The company supposedly pays people to sit at street corners and count traffic for a day, and then compare those numbers to various other intersections in the area. By the use of this method, Starbucks is able to work itself into the most active areas of a community.
Another interesting point of the argument is the company’s assertion of itself as a “third place”, a place other than work and home where a customer can relax. This is why Starbucks has small tables and couches set up in their establishments. This provides a reliable hangout place for a variety of people, but it seems that the most active customers are in their teens, as referenced in the second interview. Teenagers can come after school to socialize and talk about their days, or they can come at night to watch their friends perform at one of the small concerts that Starbucks hosts so often. Now, the first informant stated that the last thing Starbucks wants is money- their main goal is to become connected with the community. They have proven successful with their supposed “main” goal, but an analysis of the company’s advertising and public image campaign tells otherwise.
The above image is not an actual Starbucks ad, but it isn’t a stretch. In fact, Starbucks has little to no printed or televised advertisements, so how do they sell so much? Starbucks takes a more subtle approach: product placement. Ever since the mid-nineties, Starbucks has been a cultural juggernaut, appearing the in the hands of countless movie, television, and music icons. Director David Fincher deliberately hid a Starbucks cup in every scene of his film Fight Club in order to parody their method of product placement. Starbucks is brilliant in its advertising in that it portrays the message that Starbucks is cool without sticking it in your face. By placing itself in the media, the people who first begin to drink it are generally the most economically gifted, and having money generally correlates with being popular. Therefore, the more trendy and influential people seen drinking Starbucks, the more product they will sell. However, most products that are viewed as “trendy” are often rejected by a minority of people who are more “anti-establishment” than the average consumer. This is why Starbucks appeals itself as an ecological-friendly, fair-trade advocating corporation (their actual accordance with these institutions is negligible, but Starbucks is not about the economic stability of a small village in Ethiopia, its about selling a product). By appealing to both of these groups, Starbucks has become the corporate and social powerhouse it is today.