Essay: Saving the Soul of Starbucks

Sample Essay

Words 1,432

Their recent ship gone adrift needed a fix. To tell a story about their new latte they went all the way to South America. “The mission was to find products that would evoke an authentic vibe in the U.S. That’s harder than it sounds.” (Marketing – Saving Starbucks’ Soul, 2007) They brought in ceramic mugs painted with floral patterns, paintings of South American coffee farmers and posters of a grandmotherly figure making coffee on the stove. The funny thing about these authentic claims is that when you flip over the mug it says “Made in China”, the South American farmers are painted by an American, and the grandmotherly figure is an American model. (Marketing – Saving Starbucks’ Soul, 2007) “Each poster will feature the tagline…..

“I am Starbucks.””( Marketing – Saving Starbucks’ Soul, 2007) What’s confusing is what Starbucks is really trying to tell us. Is Starbucks really a South American Farmer or a grandmother who cooks coffee? Funny, I thought it was hooking Americans onto a product by charging way too much for a cup of coffee by telling America a supposedly authentic story.

The strengths of Starbucks’ though are in a good supply chain. The posters of South American farmers reveal that they have links with people who will tell their story. They don’t just make connections with any farmers; they make it with the farmers in their geographical marketing strategy. They know that Americans don’t want simply American anymore. There are enough all American McDonald’s every 5 streets. Starbucks is successfully competing with these all American brands by penetrating with culture that is non America. If McD’s is located every 5 streets then Starbucks is located every two streets. Extreme penetration has led Starbucks’ to reach all of its customers although the aspect of cannibalization is debatable. . The company…plans to have 40,000 stores worldwide, up from 13,500 today.” (Marketing – Saving Starbucks’ Soul, 2007) With each new Starbucks’ the company is able to reach out and compete effectively by supplying what the customer is demanding.

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