What is your name? and how to spell your name?
Starbucks: #Whatsyourname Campaign
Among those quick-service restaurants in the U.S., in my mind, Starbucks is one of the most successful and special one. However, the most exciting thing for me is that even if Starbucks takes the most significant market shares in the quick-service industry, their marketing and advertising spending is comparatively low.
Specifically, in 2020, the global revenue of Starbucks was about 23.5 billion U.S. dollars (10-K report, page 28). However, its marketing spending was only about 258.8 million (10-K Report, page 54). Compared with other quick-service restaurants, like McDonald’s, that revenue was about 19.2 billion dollars (10-K Report, page 26), and the marketing spending was about 654.7 million (10-K report, page 46).
So, how did Starbucks gain success? Does heavy advertising spending always mean higher returns?
Clearly, Starbucks has a group of smarter guys in its marketing department. Compared with their rivals, their strategy can better touch the customers and better build up the links between audience and brands.
In fact, Starbucks is not a brand that is obsessed with traditional marketing — they did not like sugarcoat much on their products in Ads. But they prefer to nurture their brand image and delivering some social value through their Ads.
And here is a good example for how Starbucks to delivery their philosophy to the public.
Starbucks: Every name’s a story #Whatsyourname Campaign in 2020
Starbucks created a series of visual assets to tell the stories about LGBT+ and their names in this campaign. In most situations, their styles and gender were always defined by their names, making them feel inconvenient and uncomfortable. However, when they came to the Starbucks coffee shop, clerks would ask their names and write them down on the cups. So, customers could choose their preferred name, or say, define themselves.
Don’t define Starbucks as a coffee shop
Starbucks indeed is one of the best coffee shops in the U.S. or even the world. But never thought the Starbucks only as a coffee shop.
To be honest, as a coffee enthusiast, I am not really satisfied with its coffee. In China, coffee enthusiasts always make fun with their coffee and describe it as “dishwater.” That means that the Starbucks coffee tastes bland, like it’s been watered a lot, and it tastes just like the water after washing your dishes. But, even if I don’t like their coffee, I still go to their coffee shop and buy it occasionally. So why is that happening? Except for the quality of coffee, what things does Starbucks offer to you that really intrigue you?
As for me, the most essential things about Starbucks are its environment and their service attitude. The most circumstances I went to Starbucks shop and bought a cup of coffee is that I did not have much time, or I needed somewhere to take a seat for rest or work. In this case, the most important thing for me was not the quality of coffee, but the continence and the environment.
The ‘Third Space’ is the key concept behind the coffee
In my understanding, even if the quality of Starbucks Coffee is not as good as other boutique coffee shops. But compared with other quick-service shops like Mc Café or other instant coffee brands, Starbucks is good enough. So, it has to say, in the competition of quick-service brands, Starbucks still has some strengths in terms of the coffee quality.
But the most essential thing behind the coffee products is the life attitude and philosophy of Starbucks. Their mission is to inspire and nurture the human spirit, one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time. In other words, besides providing excellent coffee, Starbucks is also committed to providing a harmonious social atmosphere. ‘Third Place’ is their way of giving people a comfort zone.
Starbucks tends to have larger stores with more seats than other coffee shops. We can always see consumers holding a cup of coffee and their computers. It’s not uncommon to see a group of friends chatting in Starbucks. And that is the idea of Starbucks ‘Third Place’ — to create a better place for relaxing, social, and work, etc.,
Cleaver way to show their brand image
Thinking back to their #Whatsyourname Campaign, for me, it is really an excellent example for a brand to show audience their social and brand value. Cleverly combined their brand value with the LGBT+.
Even though the products of Starbucks are not displayed too much in this advertisement, their environment, atmosphere, and concept are more displayed. Contrasting the awkward moments in the lives of the LGBT+ community with the success of defining themselves again after coming to Starbucks, highlighting Starbucks ‘Third Place’ — the comfort zone for every customer!
