A White Cup : A Green Circle

Coffee brews under a drip of scalding water, beans grind in the gears of a metal mechanism set atop the bar, and the chatter of patrons syncs with the sound of steaming milk in each Starbucks cafe chain. Like most cafes, the aroma of Arabica overwhelms all others, natural light shines in through the windows to touch the wooden tables, and the murmurs of conversations can be heard throughout the edifice. However, whereas the plebeian palate that feigns good taste finds pleasure in drinking coffee in its most basic form so that the true flavors of the drink might be relished, the rising youth of our post-modern society realize that coffee is best prepared when the taste of the bean is overwhelmed by various artificial flavors and sugars—undoubtedly cancerous but utterly unimportant. These developing connoisseurs of high society, with all their charm and intelligence, make it clear that Starbucks is the only cafe from which anyone who is anyone must buy one’s coffee. Starbucks, truly a place for the cultural and coffee elite, consistently attracts three intriguingly eccentric and completely loyal customers of both sharp wit and fine intellect: the female Women’s Studies major, the flagrant homosexual male, and the out-of-place conservative.

In Amanda Roadarmel’s essay “Starbucks: More Than Just Coffee” published in the Arak Journal, she describes the many reasons why people go to Starbucks and the marketing ploys behind them. Using college students as one of her main examples, she describes the ways in which Starbucks caters to their customers. She argues that Starbuck’s main draw is not their food and drink but the lifestyle that is associated with the chain. This lifestyle is what draws people to pay four dollars for coffee as the consumer sees the price as not just a coffee price but the price its cost for the comfort of being a Starbucks person. Starbucks describes its average consumer as middle aged, well-educated, middle class Americans.

Picture a long, stressful day where an avalanche of work completely exhausted your energy. The only thing worth looking forward to is coming home to relax while tuning into your favorite television show. In between the show, a commercial comes on to propose an energy drink built to help overcome those prolonged and demanding days at work. Advertisers are known for creating the most influential and effective way to launch their products to the general public. In the article “Men’s Men and Women’s Women”, author Steve Craig suggests that advertisements rely on stereotypes in order to manipulate consumers. Likewise James Twitchell, author of “What We are to Advertisers” strengthens Craig's reasoning by discussing the methods of persuasion that capture their respective audience’s attention to create a good commercial and sell a product. Both authors focus on the different techniques used by the advertising industry. Through their supporting demographic and psychographic evidence, they utilize advertising to show a strong correlation between each other. By using subtitles both authors explain the distinctive stereotypic profiles that are formed just from advertisers constantly examining the target audiences in order to create a connection with the product and the consumer. Twitchell reinforces Craig's position by introducing the different types of profiles advertisers target and be recognizing the effects of the method pathos and logos has

Starbucks is one of the most recognizable coffee retail chains in the world. Their brand focuses on high quality coffee using specialized roasting of beans from many countries around the world.

The smell of fresh-brewed Starbucks coffee is one of those things that makes my heart beat faster than usuakprobably because it promises other good things in the air: lively conversation, pleasant thoughts and inspiring music. When I go to Starbucks I usually stand in a long line waiting for people to finish their complicated orders, and then when it’s my turn I order a short (small) Iced Single Venti Mocha. Just the taste of the Mocha in my mouth shows that I’m a happy costumer. Starbucks coffee has become an important part of our lives. Its logo, known as Siren, is widely recognized and can be found in places from California to China. It is used in movies, and celebrities are often pictured with this coffee in their hands. This product placement has become a form of free advertising for Starbucks and the popularity of this brand has benefited drastically from it. Starbucks has become more than just a symbol of a great cup of coffee; it is a product that symbolizes the global success of the Starbucks brand and the importance of the social nature of coffee drinking all over the world. [Nice thesis statement!]

starbucks Corp., an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington, has expanded rapidly since its opening in 1971. These outrageous success was due to its well-developed strategy vision which lay out the company's strategic course in developing and strengthening its business. Starbucks is a global corporation that sells authentic coffee in 30 countries, reporting revenues of nearly $5.1 billion in 2006. The main goal of Starbucks is to embrace diversity by applying the highest standards of excellence. Starbucks strives to perfect the relationship with the working class by making the service as fast as possible because they believe that every customer has their own personal rate. One

Former Starbucks Executive Scott Bedbury once said “Brands need to communicate that they are along for the ride. They are made of flesh and emotion. That they are made possible by people” (10 Quotes from Starbucks Executives, 2010, para. 6). Starbucks’ beliefs in customer service, community solitude, and a strong business core stretch far behind just a belief in a quality caffeinated product. “We make sure everything we do honors that connection – from our commitment to the highest quality coffee in the world, to the way we engage with our customers and communities to do business responsibly” (About Us, 2011, para. 4). Thus, this commitment is the motivation behind Marketing Team A’s proposed

Starbucks has developed a brand image that has revolutionized coffee drinking experience. It has created an ambiance that is designed to attract customers and keep them coming back to Starbucks stores. It offers wide varieties of services such as comfortable seating areas with unique music and free wireless Internet for their customers while sipping their favorite coffee. This distinctiveness sets Starbucks apart from most of its competitors and has allowed the company to successfully grow and profit while charging premium prices for their products.

I set out to find a place to begin my observations, not knowing what to fully expect, what I may find. So I decided to look around at what is close to my home that isn’t a place I frequent or have even visited at all. Then it came to me, the Starbucks that is only about a mile away is a perfect place for me to observe subjects that I would consider different from myself, seeing as how I consider such obscene prices for coffee ridiculous. Starbucks is a very popular chain of coffee vendors that describe their product as more about quality than what Americans are used to in typical coffee joints.

Starbucks’ largest intangible resource must indisputably be the loyal consumer. Starbucks offers the customer much more than a cup of coffee. The company offers a place to think and gather; a tastefully adorned atmosphere with comfortable chairs; and a place to imagine. They offer a place where ‘everybody knows your name. In a blog, one customer relays this story:

Starbucks is acclaimed for its superior value proposition in the early 1990’s by creating an experience around the consumption of coffee, a ‘third place’. The brand is positioned to offer the highest quality coffee, close customer intimacy, and warm atmosphere or ambience.

By applying the industry rivalry concept, although Starbucks has other competitors, they are comparatively smaller and they often focus their business in certain areas or regions. Some of Starbucks’ competitors are Coffee People, Gloria Jean’s, Second Cup, which are currently expanding or planning to expand their businesses nationally or internationally.

It’s a known fact that Starbucks is one of the leading brand in the market.When we analyse the market we find that Mcdonald 's and Dunkin are the competitors in the same product segment. So comparing Starbucks with these competitors will throw light on its grey areas, process and competitive edge in the market.

The “Coffee Wars – The Big Three: Starbucks, McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts” article focuses on the company analysis of the Starbucks brand and how its main competitors, McDonald’s and Dunkin Donuts, has affected their brand and driven competition higher. Even though there are many companies trying to enter the specialty coffee market, these three companies own the majority of the market share. With Starbucks’ top quality and above average prices they hold a different market than the fast coffee/food market of Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks; yet the competitive moves Dunkin’ Donuts has made over the years in order to compete with Starbucks and surpass McDonald’s has driven competition up between all three companies. The competition has stiffened ever more in the past ten years due to the changing economy. This led to “the big three” to come up with different techniques to gain competitive advantage over the other. Although the competition between these companies is to gain most of the market share, consumers are still loyal to a certain brand; this makes it difficult to gain each other’s clientele. McDonald’s continues to appeal to customers who want value and speed, Dunkin’ Donuts focuses on the middle-class, while Starbucks a customer who desires a higher quality product along with being recognized for using the brand.

The CEO (Chief Executive Officer), Howard Schultz pointed that the main reason from the decline of “Starbucks Experience” was that the number of Starbucks shops increased sharply from only 1,000 to 13,000 within ten years. Other people considered their brand has been commercialized, and the customers hadn’t had enough enthusiasms to appreciate every moment of their coffee any longer. He suggested that Starbucks should re-find its origin. Nevertheless, his advice apparently was opposite to the