The Seamless Brand - An Insight into Starbucks

As Public Relations Practitioners (PRPs) it is vital to communicate the essence of a brand and to ensure this resonates not only across the entirety of the brand but across all platforms which communicate with key publics. Consistency is the key; from the tangible experiences which a brand offers to its retained engagement with publics through the digital medium. For PRP’S the seamless communication experience should derive from the inner meaning of the brand. Even the smallest, apparently insignificant details make a huge difference when creating a seamless brand experience. This has become particularly evident in the coffee marketplace as a recent reputation survey into Starbucks (OnePoll, 2011) established that 66% of respondents believed it to be a bad idea for plans to remove Starbucks chunky white mugs from its UK stores, which has become synonymous with the brand.

Starbucks passion for quality through ethically sourcing the finest coffee beans and commitment to these ethical values is the meaning customers attach to the brand; 46% chose it as the high-street coffee chain which acted in the most socially responsible way in the OnePoll survey (2011). The level of care that resonates across the entirety of the brand from customers, shareholders, coffee farmers to the local community is what the public recognise. It addresses their emotional, psychological and socio-cultural needs as well as utilitarian (Verganti, 2009); this human connection is fundamental.

The reason why Starbucks is so successful in its brand experience is because it begins at the core of the “golden circle” which Simon Sinek advocates and asks the question “why”; what is Starbucks purpose and belief? Their ethical stance lies at the heart of their business. After establishing “why” Starbucks sell coffee, the focus changes to “how” they do this; through sourcing the finest coffee beans, roasting them with care and providing great customer service to “what” they do; which is providing great coffee. 

The following link provides a deeper insight into the concept of the "golden circle". 

Aligning these external messages with internal culture has meant Starbucks have nailed the concept of the “seamless communication experience” and this has extended online.

PRPs need to communicate from the essence of the brand to strengthen and retain meaningful relationships with their publics. Starbucks have utilised this through the digital medium. They have a Twitter following of 1,292,714 which interacts with customers and their queries or simply their positive experiences of Starbucks. Reciprocation is vital as publics are gratified through direct responses (Safko and Brake, 2010) and this retains the human connection which Starbucks strive towards. The implications for PR are that it is forcing the discipline to stop broadcasting and begin connecting (Breakenridge, 2008).

Since “reputations, images, brands and cognitive representations are what members of different publics think and say to each other” (Bromley, 1993; Grunig and Hunt, 2002 cited 2009); engaging customers through collaboration enables them to interact and influence each other; say hello to “My Starbucks Idea”. This allows customers to share, vote and discuss aspects of the brand through new ideas to improve the experience; this is where Starbucks stand out as this seamless online communication experience brings tangible benefits. Starbucks has created a credible cultural ecosystem which creates an open platform to build conversation (Van De Ven, 2010). By listening to customers and incorporating their ideas, it shapes a better brand and therefore experience. It encourages story-telling; last year, Facebook fans chose the flavour of the Christmas special coffee, selecting 'Toffee Nut Latte', which sold 45 per cent more than the Christmas drink in 2009; if you contributed to a new product a brand was offering, would you tell your friends? I know I’d want some credit for it!

Starbucks is on the ball digitally, creating various mobile applications to improve service and maintain loyalty. Starbucks Card Mobile allows customers to pay for their coffee faster to spend more time enjoying their coffee whilst Facebook Deals as mentioned in my previous blog provides customers with discounts for simply “checking in” to the store. Starbucks have got the basics right in their strategy by working their communication from the inside out; they have then extended this across multiple platforms, layering on the experience through new innovations which are concentrated solely on customer care and on enhancing their coffee experience. By providing the best-tasting coffee as 44% of respondents said in the OnePoll survey (2011) this generates loyalty. However it is loyalty and the experience which Starbucks provides which creates advocacy.

Starbucks recently rebranded; do you think this is a risk in disrupting the brand experience or necessary to keep Starbucks at the forefront of the coffee marketplace?

Making the public personal; the influence of the mobile phone

With the number of mobile subscribers exceeding 5 Billion in 2010; this has huge potential for PR practitioners (PRPs) to radically extend the reach of their campaigns. Goggin (2006) contends the mobile phone plays an indispensable role in our everyday lives, facilitating a variety of uses. Whether we want to stay in contact with friends, search information, entertain ourselves with the latest edition of doodle jump or use the barcode scanner app to complete our online Tesco shop; the mobile phone is an important element of identity construction and expression. It has further led to an increase in user mobility enabling users to communicate “anytime, anywhere, with anyone”. This “always on” media has serious implications for the PR discipline providing greater opportunities for communication than traditional channels and on a 24/7 basis. It is particularly important in times of crisis; seen as an ideal medium to receive instantaneous updates and information in short forms e.g. twitter (Buellingen and Woerter 2004; Dholakia and Dholakia 2004).

Blackberry, iPhone and Google Android are some of the major market players and Apple has been consistent in developing new applications (apps) providing innovative platforms for disseminating messages. Location based apps are the most recent innovations to strike PR.

Facebook Deals is the newest app to be launched; providing users with discounts and benefits with nearby shops, restaurants and venues when they “check in” via the Places feature on their mobile.

Facebook has already partnered with Starbucks, Debenhams, O2 and Mazda, where discounts will be shown on Facebook Places as a “golden ticket” appearing next to the name of the nearby venue.By accepting these discounts, your news feed will be updated immediately so your friends are also able to see what deals are taking place. With word of mouth being the most effective communication tool in PR, this app represents the power which can be harnessed from personal recommendations; as Facebook’s director of local, Emily White states; “The wisdom of friends has taken over from the wisdom of crowds”. As PRPs it appears we are witnessing a more personal dimension to the discipline, which lends brands and organisations a level of credibility when seeking changes in public perceptions.

This clip provides a deeper insight in to Facebook Deals:

Foursquare is a geo-based social networking site which is similar to Facebook Places yet it enables users to write reviews therefore sharing their experiences. This is particularly useful when incorporated around events since PRPs are able to listen in real time and respond accordingly (Bakshi, 2010). This can have its benefits in so far as the review is good; however with individuals more likely to pass on negative feedback to peers there are reputational/corruptive issues which need to be considered.

With the mobile phone set to replace the PC as the most used method of accessing the internet by 2015, it seems there is a future for location based apps which are reliant on device portability. However PRPs need to appreciate that mobile adoption levels are highest among the younger generation as they embrace technological changes and they need to be cautious in how they communicate with these publics to prevent it appearing as advertising. The subtle influence of the location based app in generating awareness and word of mouth through personal endorsement is ideal whilst remaining targeted to an organisations publics. It further enables PRPs to measure the impact of the strategy since the mobile phone is highly trackable. The mobile phone is widening PRs capabilities, enhancing the paths of influence. What will the apps of the future hold is all I can say? I’m intrigued to see how more innovations will impact upon the discipline.

On a leaving note, I’m off to download Facebook Deals so I can take advantage of all these fantastic offers!

Should Public Relations Practitioners (PRPs) be harnessing the power of interactivity?

Interactivity has advanced from the natural attributes of face to face conversations, to occur in mediated communication settings across multiple platforms and through a range of multimedia. As difficulty arises in conceptualizing it, PRPs ultimately need to consider their communication with publics with varying levels of interaction with the advent of new media and technological innovation (Rafaeli, 1988). Communication itself is not interactivity. This is a mistake countless PRPs make in the industry – what they believe to be fully interactive with their publics is what Rafaeli (1988) terms two-way (non-interactive) communication. If PRPs are unable to differentiate between bilateral communication and fully interactive communication, how are they able to maximise its power to their advantage? There are too many misconceptions as to what being fully interactive means. PR is taking a step in the right direction yet it still tends not to advance beyond the reactive.

Full interactivity (responsiveness) differs from reaction in the incorporation of reference to the content, nature, form or just the presence of earlier reference (Rafaeli, 1988).  It has led to boundaries between producer and user blurring with the rise of user-generated content, therefore challenging the traditional ‘mass media’ communication model. This has its pros and cons. “The ability to communicate knowledge, and so influence others, is power” (Rheingold). This power has traditionally resided in the hands of the PRPs however innovations in digital media are radically altering the communication equation as the interactivity component is tipping the power balance. The internet has led to the new ‘interactive media’ model which supports all communication (Hoffman and Novak, 1996) and users are becoming increasingly influential in agenda setting. This can be beneficial yet equally detrimental to reputation as the power of the crowd takes hold. You only have to look at the protests in Cairo, Egypt where Twitter was used as an ongoing channel to respond to previous message sequences and the content exchanged.  

Regardless of whether your client is existent in the digital world or not; PRPs are unable to control what is being said. Interactive technologies provide a new impetus for PR enabling PRPs to amend, build and strengthen mutually beneficial relationships with key publics. The internet has created an architecture of participation where PRPs are able to shape user experiences. In this sense customers should be viewed as “co-producers” of an organisations products and services, as the social web navigates them through a shared, socially constructed negotiated understanding of meaning (Jones, Temperley and Lima, 2009).

Of the odd few agencies that do advance beyond simple reciprocity, the impact is far-reaching. Facebook has been a key channel in harnessing interactivity in the Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project, as 14 countries exchange their nightlife culture in one event.

The Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project Ad

 Smirnoff are holding one final Miami themed tour across the UK in March yet to be determined by the mass audience via online voting at www.facebook.com/SmirnoffGB. Person-to-person (P2P) interactivity has extended the campaigns reach as users generate and share their own content. These major efforts individuals undertake to maintain the communication exchange, and to expect and elicit messages that will provide the best platforms for new messages is referred to as ‘reciprocally sustained involvement’ (Goffman, 1957). The campaign has moved the ‘locus of control over meanings from marketer to consumer’ (Deighton and Kornfeld (2007; 2009).

Communication is the vehicle through which interaction is achieved (Rafaeli, 1988). The internet and social media have provided a forum on a global scale that brings publics together instantaneously to exchange knowledge, content and opinions which can be either constructive or destructive in nature. It would be foolish for PRPs at the present time to ignore the power of interactivity.

On a leaving note: VOTE FOR BOURNEMOUTH - www.facebook.com/SmirnoffGB.

The social media landscape: Is it all it’s cracked up to be for the Public Relations (PR) industry?

The internet is revolutionising the communication equation in the PR landscape, but should all PR professionals be utilising social media strategy to provide greater value to clients in the B2C and B2B marketplace? If Web 2.0 requires a ‘completely new way of thinking’ in the communication equation; does social media have the potential to re-institutionalise the traditional, interpretive paradigm of PR that assumes control over what messages publics are exposed to? 


Traditional media gatekeepers are in a state of flux as social media breaks down barriers through the rise of user-generated content and sharing of information. Publics are empowered and less constrained by the information traditional media choose to disclose, challenging the conceptual, asymmetric nature of PR (Grunig, 2009). Most significantly, social media has the opportunity to flatten the hierarchical nature of many organisations, from the point of view of communication. Digital communications makes it possible for more efficient management of organisational communications including internally and externally. As online technologies become ubiquitous organisations can effectively be more open and transparent to facilitate better understanding between and among various publics (Pavlik, 2008). 


The social media landscape is widespread; Twitter for example, is an influential tool in both the B2C and B2B marketplace and has made communication more instantaneous. Twitter has significant implications for the B2B marketplace; one in five tweets feature a brand or product. Surely, it would be wise to monitor these ‘tweets’ especially due to the broadcast nature of Twitter and in a public space of over 170 million users?  Twitter is deemed as a “hyper-grapevine news resource” and credited for breaking news on significant, real-time events with its short regular updates (Safko and Brake, 2009). This is particularly important in times of crisis. 




Social media monitoring would therefore appear necessary for PR and reputation. Listening and engaging with customers requires organisational transparency which effectively builds credibility (Weber, 2007). Credibility is key to providing value to an organisation and/or brand in a competitive marketplace. 


There are a range of free and paid monitoring tools which can be useful in analysing competitor activities, plotting influencers and identifying which platforms are relevant to publics. Monitoring who uses which platforms and how often they use them opens a window of opportunities to respond to customer service and competitors as well as initiating conversations; providing knowledge and engaging with certain topics. Twitter is invaluable for PR with the ability to track ‘trends’ and news seeding. 


The article below from The Independent shows how social media sites such as Twitter are key mediums for communication and identifies the current trends tied to the controversy in Cairo where President Mubarak has shut down the internet.

Current Twitter trends: '#jan25,' Cairo digital communications blackout, Charlie Sheen

Social media monitoring is not only useful for tracking news media coverage and correlated public opinion indicators, but for PR it can help in assessing media agenda setting and news media framing (Pavlik, 2008). 


Social media facilitates the generic principle of two-way and symmetrical communication which Grunig (2009) states should be applied universally for effective PR; using research, listening and dialogue to manage conflict and cultivate relationships with both internal and external strategic publics. In this instance social media strategy has the power to provide greater value to both B2C and B2B clients and has the potential to make the PR discipline itself more global, interactive, dialogical, and socially responsible.