Starbucks Discovers Integrated eMarketing Communications
Starbucks Corporation the international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 16,120 stores in 49 countries, including around 11,000 in the United States. Starbucks sells drip brewed coffee, espresso-based hot drinks, other hot and cold drinks, snacks, and items such as mugs and coffee beans.
Starbucks in the early 2000s greatly increased its “licensed store” franchise system, which permits Starbucks franchises only if they are inside other stores or in limited or restricted access spaces, as to not dilute the brand image, versions of the cafes, or be positioned as independent cafes that happen to sell Starbucks products for example, Barnes & Noble.
Starbucks Coffee is relying very heavily on social influence or viral marketing using networking media such as Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, YouTube and other sites to do give away promotions, to communicate with followers and to influence consumers choices.
Over the last few years Starbucks has discovered the tremendous efficiency of eMarketing techniques. The most significant benefits of using eMarketing; business blogs, email marketing, SEO, business social networking, and Pay Per Click Advertising are the low cost of generating sales leads. When implemented correctly, the return on investment from eMarketing can far exceed that of any traditional marketing strategies. eMarketing produces more qualified sales leads at less expense than traditional marketing.
No specialty coffee business can ignore the role that eMarketing and integrated marketing communications plays in their marketing mix. The Internet is a force that cannot be ignored. For a small business it can be a means to attract new direct and wholesale customers, distributors and reps who are on-line searching for products.
Contact:
David Schwartz
760.345.5069 (phone)
760.345.5078 (fax)
sosemarketing@
www.sosemarketing.com
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
