Starbucks Business and Marketing
Strategy: The Reasons Behind its Success
Sarah M. Bruce
Strayer University
STARBUCKS BUSINESS AND MARKETING STRATEGY 2
Abstract
This paper defines Starbucks business and marketing strategy and how the company uses that strategy to build its success. Starbucks use of a global strategy to market to its customers has helped the brand to gain international appeal and recognition. Its mission statement "To inspire and nurture the human spirit - one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time," has proven true from its ability to blanket an entire area with its coffee shops, and continue to grow and be profitable. Starbucks has a unique culture that is hard to duplicate. Their sense of community, of responsibility and social awareness has made them what they are today. As stated on the website, the company's vision is to establish Starbucks as the most recognized and respected brand in the world. The leadership and ingenuity of Howard Schultz, Starbucks president and ceo, has been a tremendous catalyst to this effort. This paper examines the strategies Starbucks uses in its business and marketing efforts and how its been able to reach its goals through these strategies.
STARBUCKS BUSINESS AND MARKETING STRATEGY 3 Starbucks only had 165 stores mainly in and around the Seattle area when it first opened in 1992. Today Starbucks has grown into a mass chain of over 10,000 stores worldwide and counting. On the Fortune 500 list in 2008 they ranked 277. To what does Starbucks attribute its astounding