What Retailers can learn from Starbucks Branding?

Published by:   Ivan Fredriech Cano

A good copy communicates what your brand is all about, and Starbucks knows this well. Let’s take a look at how the world’s most popular coffee shop built itself as The Third Place we know today.

In a marketplace filled to the brim with marketers vying for attention, even market leaders are constantly on their toes for any changes in consumer trends. So, how then does a Small/Medium Retailers compete with these giants? You'll be surprised to find that looking at the ideas behind their copies is all you need to do!

A catchy copy will turn heads, but a copy that’s made through an intimate knowledge of your product will resonate better with your target market and that’s no hasty generalization of a proven approach to good copywriting. After all, any decent marketer would know that this can only be done by acquiring two things:

• 1) Knowledge of your Product
2) Knowledge of your Customer

And to showcase how big companies incorporate these two elements, let’s do a small case study of everybody’s favorite “Affordable Luxury”: Starbucks.

Starbucks has established itself as The Third Place. This may sound like a weird copy, but when you think about it, this perfectly describes Starbucks’ intimate knowledge of what it offers and what its customers keep coming back for. Home is naturally what we consider the first place. And work, fortunately/unfortunately, is the Second Place. The copy “The Third Place” places Starbucks at an almost integral position in any consumer’s life. And it’s not just about the coffee. Consumer research indicates that Dunkin Donuts has better coffee than Starbucks and it’s $1 cheaper as well.Yet, people would travel a little farther and pay the extra dollar to experience coffee in The Third Place. Since we’re on the topic of not-being-about-the-coffee, it’s worth nothing their menu has grown to include something for any customer old enough to walk. You can easily find sweet teas, light lunch items and pastries they’re quick to offer with your usual.

But what’s an analysis of Starbucks without talking about its shops? The smell of roasted coffee beans can only go so far without its hip interior wall design, wooden finish of its floors, its faux leather furniture and, of course, WiFi. Its image as The Third Place sits comfortably between your home away from home and at the same time, a place where you can work in relative peace

All of this is tied together by the customer service Starbucks provides. Ordering from the counter is a pleasant experience simply because the baristas smile. The manner they ask for your order appears as if you’ve known them for a time, and you’ll be surprised how well this is received without realizing it. A friend who worked as a barista shared that part of their training is to remember regulars in their stores along with their usual orders. They’re even trained to adopt a mindset that the store is a home they share!

This shows that Starbucks knows the importance of the Customer Experience - from how well they treat their customers, the feeling of comfortable chairs, the sight of pretty people and WiFi - bringing them all back looking for a service delivered at a human and interactive level.

The Third Place as a copy has captured what keeps Starbucks as the darling of morning coffees and as the choice place for meet-ups. It’s no accident Starbucks has arrived at the insight of what people look for. The insight Starbucks gained was through a thorough knowledge of what they offer and what people look for. It’s not just about the coffee.

About Ivan Cano

Ivan Fredriech Cano is a Content Writer / Copywriter for an Online Entertainment group in Asia. With his university studies in int’l politics, to his present-day practice in market research and copywriting, he continues to widen his scope in the industries he writes for. Ivan’s work focuses on technology, content marketing, online entertainment and continuously unearthing the ticks of the consumer psyche. Know more about what he’s up to by following him on social media.