Starbucks Brand Identity
What are the main ways a high-street retailer represents their company to the public? Using one prominent store/retail chain that you are familiar with, describe how each aspect contributes to their brand and identity.
Founded in the streets of Seattle, Washington during the 1970’s. Howard Schultz certainly never anticipated creating a brand that has become the largest coffeehouse company in the world. Starbucks has dominated the world with its aromatic and fine quality coffee beans. It is not just a mere coffee house, it is a brand, a lifestyle, a culture and most evidently, it is an iconic figure, an identity. (Koehn 2002)
This essay shall introduce Starbucks as a renowned brand in contemporary society, its origins as a coffee roaster and the making of Starbucks. Then it will discuss how it is being represented to the public using branding techniques. Lastly it will discuss how the logo is constructed and the ways it has evolved over the years to create this identity as a brand.
Following from above, Starbucks was created by three University students who wanted to sell high quality coffee. Back then the company only sold roasted coffee and did not yet brew coffee to sell. In the year 1987, the original owners sold their company to Howard Schultz who merged his coffeehouse company, I1 Giornale with Starbucks. In the same year Starbucks grew rapidly and opened eleven outlets. Nine years after that, it had over 900 outlets worldwide. (Koehn 2002)
According to Koehn (2002) Starbucks is now an identity that commands broad awareness and has strong buyer loyalty. On the 2nd of August 1996, Starbucks opened its first store outside North America. Just like all its existing stores, Starbucks was opened in the heart and bustling streets of Japan – Tokyo. Over the following weeks, consumers of all ages filled the shop. Schultz then realised that the brand Starbucks had the same power in Tokyo than it had in New York and Seattle. It had taken on a life of its
Founded in the streets of Seattle, Washington during the 1970’s. Howard Schultz certainly never anticipated creating a brand that has become the largest coffeehouse company in the world. Starbucks has dominated the world with its aromatic and fine quality coffee beans. It is not just a mere coffee house, it is a brand, a lifestyle, a culture and most evidently, it is an iconic figure, an identity. (Koehn 2002)
This essay shall introduce Starbucks as a renowned brand in contemporary society, its origins as a coffee roaster and the making of Starbucks. Then it will discuss how it is being represented to the public using branding techniques. Lastly it will discuss how the logo is constructed and the ways it has evolved over the years to create this identity as a brand.
Following from above, Starbucks was created by three University students who wanted to sell high quality coffee. Back then the company only sold roasted coffee and did not yet brew coffee to sell. In the year 1987, the original owners sold their company to Howard Schultz who merged his coffeehouse company, I1 Giornale with Starbucks. In the same year Starbucks grew rapidly and opened eleven outlets. Nine years after that, it had over 900 outlets worldwide. (Koehn 2002)
According to Koehn (2002) Starbucks is now an identity that commands broad awareness and has strong buyer loyalty. On the 2nd of August 1996, Starbucks opened its first store outside North America. Just like all its existing stores, Starbucks was opened in the heart and bustling streets of Japan – Tokyo. Over the following weeks, consumers of all ages filled the shop. Schultz then realised that the brand Starbucks had the same power in Tokyo than it had in New York and Seattle. It had taken on a life of its
References: 1. Berry, L. L. 2000. Cultivating service brand equity. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 28(1), pp. 128-137. 2. Chang, W. L. and Lin, H. L. 2010. The impact of color traits on corporate branding. African Journal Business Management 4(15), pp. 3344-3355. 3. Danesi, M. 2006. Brands. Oxon: Routledge. 4. Holt, D. B. 2004. How brands become icons: The principles of cultural branding. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. 5. Isobe, B. 2012. Does a Change in a Logo Affect the Value of the Brand? The Case of Starbucks. PhD Thesis, Claremont College. 6. Koehn, N. F. 2002. Howard Schultz and Starbucks coffee company. Boston: Harvard Business School Publications. 7. Michelli and Joseph A. 2007. The Starbucks Experience: 5 Principles for Turning Ordinary into Extraordinary. New York: McGraw-Hill. pp. 11-15. 8. Phillips, M. and Rippin, A. 2010. Howard and the mermaid: abjection and the Starbucks’ Foundation memoir. Organization 17(4), pp. 481-499. 9. Schultz, H. and Jones Yang, D. 1997. Pour your heart into it: How Starbucks built a company one cup at a time. New York: Hyperion. 10. Scott, L. M. and Batra, R. 2012. Persuasive imagery: A consumer response perspective. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.