Brief 6: Starbucks Past/Existing Campaigns (Social Media)
In understanding what campaigns have already been adapted by Starbucks before, I have begun analysing a few used over the last few years.Â
Whilst researching I came across an article link that compiled several of their âMost awesome Social Media campaignsâ. This turned out to be a very interesting read and it really did help to open up my knowledge of the Starbucks brand - in order to understand who they are and the causes they stand for/represent.Â
Back in 2011, Starbucks launched its new Blonde Roast coffee. In working to promote it to their customers they decided upon doing a giveaway over their social media channels. Using the Facebook app, customers could learn about the new product, claim a free cup of Blonde Roast on their next in-store purchase and send an e-card to their friends (to brighten their day).
Starbucks has developed a reputation for being one of the most loved coffee brands/brands in general by the public. They have a loyal customer base who are eager for the launch of their latest products and new ranges.
After being pulled from their stores, the Pumpkin Spice Latte made a surprise return. In celebration of this, Starbucks decided to launch a campaign whereby they gave people from the general public the chance to have the flavour available in their town for a week before everyone else.Â
In order to win, fans were required to rack up points directly through the Facebook app. The points could be earned by giving city shoutouts, solving daily challenges set or by making a daily creation in the app itself.Â
At the end it was revealed that Chicago were the winning state, coming out on top with 10.6m points, while Seattle followed up behind in second with 342,000 points.Â
During October 2013, Starbucks initiated the campaign âTweet-A-Coffeeâ. This worked to enable customers to gift their friends money off their next coffee. They could simply send them a $5 gift card by putting their friends Twitter handle along with the account name @tweetacoffee.Â
It was unveiled that during the months of the campaign launch more than 27,000 customers had tweeted a coffee, with 34% purchasing multiple gift cards. Estimations also suggest that Starbucks sold around $180,000 dollars worth of coffee during the entirety of the promotion.Â
Raising attention to a new discount available for their customers, Starbucks began tagging their latest Facebook announcements with the hashtag #treatreciept. The deal offered customers a saving discount in the afternoon if they had bought a coffee that morning on the same exact day.Â
This campaign saw Starbucks respond to the early 2013 blizzard (Nemo), which swept itâs way across the east coast of America. Through their social media accounts, they decided to promote a series of advertisements that would appear on their customers timelines. The posts depicted images of people holding warm cups of coffee. As they were promoted, everytime #blizzard or #nemo was searched by the user, Starbucks tweets would appear reminding them to grab that well needed coffee.Â
Although not a designated campaign (as such!) Starbucks have most recently taken to the platform of Instagram to promote their brand and latest products. Through this they are very pro-active in keeping their loyal customers up to date with everything surrounding/affecting the brand. With Instagram, Starbucks are known to post âbehind the scenesâ pictures uncaptioned (generally showing their factories or coffee roasting). Photos are also reposted by other fans who promote their coffee onto their feed from multiple locations. This is a simple idea which works to build a lasting relationship with their customers, making it less focused on the brand, but more on the people and product itself.Â
7) Charity Campaign (AIDS Awareness)
In 2012, Starbucks partnered with Foursquare to work on a charitable campaign that raised awareness of AIDS. Between 1st - 10th June Starbucks donated $1 to the charity fund every-time someone checked into one of their store locations throughout the US or Canada.Â
https://econsultancy.com/blog/64328-eight-awesome-social-campaigns-from-starbucks
