Customers/Consumers
Starbucks extends their coffee experience to everyone: kids, teenagers and adults. Part of their success comes from their ability to create new products that fit the culture of the country. In Japan, for instance, Starbucks launched green tea lattes, which later became popular in other countries (Allison). Starbucks is well established in countries like Canada, Japan, and the United Kingdom. In the US alone, Starbucks sells 4 million cups of coffee per day (Horovitz). Their products and services have transformed the way customers view coffee. Changing the way customers order, Starbucks makes it very chic to purchase custom drinks. Starbucks is like no other coffee shop: the dimmed lights and contemporary background music appeal to many customers. Offering free Wi-Fi, Starbucks provides customers with an alternative study/work space. They also provide kid-friendly drinks and sizes to make Starbucks a family-friendly place. As an ―embedded brand‖ (Hoover), Starbucks does not need to rely heavily on advertisements to attract customers. Customers are loyal to Starbucks because of its friendly and consistent customer service.
Company/Corporate Partners
One of the fastest growing chains in the world, Starbucks is a multination corporation that operates in over fifty countries. The company has created a brand of passion, relaxation, and great tasting specialty coffee. In partnering with many book and music companies, Starbucks has made itself appealing to many different demographics. The company started in 1971 and went public in 1985. It is currently traded on the NASDAQ Market and is a Fortune 500 company (US Securities and Exchange Commission, 1).
The Starbucks mission is to "inspire and nurture the human spirit—one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time" (Starbucks Corporation 2010). They work to achieve their mission by being customer-oriented, community-driven, passionate, and caring. The Starbucks