1. *Sold Exclusively at Starbucks
McKenzie Strickland, Mara Geist,
Jenna Warner, Nick Ramsey &
Grayson Andregg
December 4, 2015
2. Company: Seattle Chocolates
Key Contact: Kirsty Ellison, VP of Sales and Marketing
Company Profile: The Seattle Chocolate Company (SCC) is a woman owned, Seattle-based
company that has grown to become a premier, quality chocolate company most famous for its
truffles and truffle bars. Currently Seattle Chocolates is featured in most specialty grocery
stores around the Northwest and select stores around the country. You can also find Seattle
Chocolates at Made in Washington Stores and online. SCC currently has no national brand
awareness and is looking to expand to gain popularity on a national level. Our company client is
Kristy Ellison
Project Description: Our goal is to raise the national brand awareness of Seattle
Chocolates sold exclusively at Starbucks. The main push of our campaign will be conducted
from fall 2016 to early spring 2017. This campaign will take place across the US in select
Starbucks locations.
Problem Statement: While Seattle Chocolatesisperformingwell inthe PacificNorthwest,we
wantto strive to create national awarenessandpreference forourproductsnationwide.We are alsoa
small companywhoislookingfora large boostin salessothat we can increase the awarenessand
successof our company.
Marketing Goals: Our ultimate goal is to increase the brand awareness with Seattle
Chocolates being sold on a national level. We will be able to measure this through engagement,
reach, and impressions on our social media platforms as well as online conversions. We also
plan to measure our campaign objectives by our secondary measurement of overall sales.
Objectives
o Increase brandawarenessby60% by yearsend2017
o Increase salesby50% by yearsend2017
SWOT Analysis
Strengths: Seattle Chocolates is already a well-established, popular brand that is
successful especially in the Northwest and the opportunity to expand its name and
brand into Starbucks locations would propel the SCC name on a national level.
Starbucks currently does not have a signature chocolate (similar to Macy’s and
Frango) and we see a window of opportunity to expand the SCC brand. Another
strength comes from both products coming from Seattle. Consumers already know
3. that Starbucks is a Seattle company with reliable, trustworthy products. By
partnering with another reliable, trustworthy Seattle-based company, it will show
that Starbucks sticks to its roots and its commitment to maintaining its local
economy as well as the national economy. There is a brand lift because of this
association and because the products are complimentary, there is no threat of
competition between the products.
Weaknesses: While Seattle Chocolates is well established in the Seattle area, it
has a distinct lack of awareness on a national level. Although Seattle Chocolates is
currently available in specialty grocery stores across the nation, there are fewer
sales in our locations outside the Seattle and Pacific Northwest area. Since Seattle
Chocolates in a small company, additional funding and production processes would
need to be implemented. Starbucks would need to provide capital to enable these
actions.
Opportunities: Starbucks does not yet offer a signature chocolate, and by
partnering with Seattle Chocolates, they could carry an exclusive label and product
that cannot be found anywhere else. Seattle Chocolates is delicious and high quality
that would also serve as an addition to Starbucks’ array of high quality food and
beverage options. Partnerships such as these have already proved to improve both
tea and food sales for Starbucks due to their partnerships with Teavana and La
Boulange Bakery. As of June 1, 2015 contribution to comp growth from tea has
doubled since the introduction of Teavana (Bolton 1), and as of June 22,2015, since
the addition of La Boulange Bakery products, there had been a 16% jump in food
sales in the most recent quarter (Klara 1). A partnership with SCC could lead to
similar sales increases for Starbucks, especially in an area in which they had few
sales before. Chocolates are also a product that pairs well with Starbucks beverage
products. In addition, Starbucks is already a prime location to purchase gifts, as is
Seattle Chocolates. By partnering our two companies, Starbucks could become a
one-stop shop for gift buyers. We also intend to use the Seattle connection to link
our brands and as an advertising and marketing opportunity. There is also an
opportunity for product crossover.
Threats: A threat of using Seattle Chocolates is that it does not have national
awareness among consumers. Some consumers might see a chocolate brand that
they are unfamiliar with and choose not to purchase in order to stick to brands they
already know and trust. However, we hope the association with the Starbucks brand
will encourage consumers to trust our brand and give it a try. Another threat is that
4. people do not associate chocolate with Starbucks and may be hesitant to branch out
and purchase high quality chocolate products.
Competition: While Seattle Chocolates has other chocolate competitors, there are no other
coffee shops with an exclusive chocolate line, and therefore we would be creating a unique
market for our product. While those shopping specifically for chocolates would go to a
chocolate store, we are reaching those who may not have even thought about buying
chocolates until the opportunity was before them. After their initial purchase, they will know
they can purchase high quality chocolates while getting their daily coffee and will be likely to
return.
Target Market: Our target market is women from ages 25-60 years old. This is a broad
range on purpose. We believe that women in this age range not only frequent Starbucks,
collecting stars and points towards earning more rewards on their Starbucks App, but also see
Starbucks as a place to purchase gifts for people. Starbucks gift cards and Starbucks drinkware
are popular, easy-to-purchase gifts, and often women between 25-60 rely on Starbucks for the
gift-giving needs. Our target market values convenience as well as quality, which makes
Starbucks the perfect gift buying destination. Our consumer is already in the store, and the
Seattle Chocolates are a high quality, convenience option. Our target market already trusts and
relies on Starbucks, so our goal is to, in turn, establish Seattle Chocolates to be a trustworthy
brand as well.
Consumer Profile:
Yvonne Swenson
has a sweet tooth, coffee addiction, and is an avid gift-giver
career woman, mid-thirties
married, mother of two children (10 months and a 4 year old)
mobile achiever, Starbucks Mobile App Gold Member
constantly on the go, stops by Starbucks on her way to work
median income 125K a year
Value Proposition: For the first time, Starbucks is debuting an exclusive chocolate, in
partnership with Seattle Chocolates, to bring Starbucks lovers and chocolate lovers alike a
unique chocolate product that is both stylish and gift worthy.
5. Positioning statement: To Starbucks lovers everywhere, Seattle is bringing delicious,
high quality chocolate to go along with your go-to coffee because when you think coffee, you
think Starbucks. Now, when you think chocolate: think Seattle Chocolate. Trust Seattle, you’ll
love it.
Message and tagline
We’re Bringing Seattle to You.
KEY MESSAGES:Gift worthy,convenience,high quality
Strategy and execution-- Media Planning
Brand awareness
Print
On our printad,we wouldlike toemphasize the ideathat“You’ve trustedSeattle withyourcoffee
choice,nowtrustSeattle withyourchocolate choice aswell.”Similarly“Whenyouthinkcoffee,you
thinkStarbucks.Nowwhenyouthinkchocolate,youthinkSeattleChocolates.”These printadswillbe
publishedinmagazinessuchasBetterHomesandReal Simple,andwill be simple indesign.The focuson
the ad will be onthe message andtext,andalsoon the picture of the box of chocolatesfeaturedonthe
ad. The boxesthemselvesare elegant,andthe adshouldmatchthat theme.The consumershouldlook
at the ad andfirstbe drawnto the box,and thento the textsupportingwhatthe box contains. The adis
alsoformattedas a lettertothe consumerwhichalignswiththe similarideaof havingagifttag available
to attach to our product,as well asdrawinga personal connectiontothe consumer.
Drive thru banners/ Other varioussignage
In orderto alsocapture the drive thruaudience atStarbucks,we will place bannersshowcasingapicture
of the box and pricingforcustomerstosee as theyapproach Starbucks.The bannerwill alsobe simple
and easyto understand.Once the awarenessof Seattle chocolatesbeingavailable atStarbucksis
established,we will thenonlyneedtohave bannersasa wayof remindingpeople thatSeattle
Chocolatesare available forpurchase.
The BigPlay
We intendtoholda large eventinSeattle tomarkthe beginningof the Seattle Chocolatessold
exclusivelyatStarbucks productlaunch.Thiseventwill beginplaceaweekbefore Thanksgivinginfront
of the original StarbucksatPike Place Market.The eventwill have agiantchocolate box,inthe designof
our intendedbox,infrontof the store.The box will remainthere throughoutthe holidayseason.Onthe
firstday of the eventthere will be free chocolate samplesaswell assmall samplesof Starbucks’holiday
drinks.Photo-opswiththe displaywill be encouragedwith the use of #trustseattle,inthe hopesthat
people willpromote ourproductandour hashtagby postingtheirpicturesonline.All the free chocolates
handedouton the firstday will alsofeature ourhashtagwithasmall label.
6. Brand Preference
Social MediaCampaign
The Hashtag: We have createda hashtag #trustseattlethatwe are goingto be usingon all of
our social mediaplatforms.We feelthatbecause ournationwide customershave somuchtrust
inStarbucks Coffee, thosesame customerswill recognize andappreciatethe partnershipwitha
fellowSeattle company.SinceStarbuckshaspositioneditselfasbeingthe coffee of Seattle,we
similarlywanttoestablishSeattle Chocolatesasthe chocolate of Seattle andbeyond.Ourloyal
customergroupsreallydo#trustseattle.
Facebook:Facebookiswhere we will wanttodo a large majorityof informationsharingand
communicatingwithourcustomers.Facebook isaveryeffective andfrequently usedonline
mediasharingsite,andwe planto utilize itsbenefits. We have 17,776 likesonFacebook,sowe
alreadyhave a greatpotential toreacha lotof potential consumers. We will be mentioningour
partnershipwithStarbucksfrequentlyonFacebookandpromotingthe differenttypesof
productswe are goingto offerforthe durationof the campaign,andStarbuckswill alsobe
mentioningusinafewpostsas well.The mainfocusof Facebookwill be toprovide more text
informationandthoroughexplanationstothe customers,alongwithlinkstoourwebsite.
Instagram:Instagramis alsogoingto be a major factor inour social mediacampaign.We are
goingto postphotosshowcasingthe simplicityof ourhighqualitychocolates,providing
additional informationaboutwhere ourproductsare available andanypromotionsthatare
goingon.We have 1,414 followerswhichwill needtobe expandedonce we getthiscampaign
up and running.
Pinterest: Pinterestwillbe usedina similarwayas Instagramsince theybothshowcase pictures
of productsandfeature captionsprovidingmore detailsaboutthem. Similartosharingon
Facebookor re-postingsomethingonInstagram, if we were topinsomething, the hope isthat
our followerswouldrepinit,andconsequently theirfollowerswouldlikelyseeit aswell,
therefore expandingourbrandawareness. We have 1,600 followersonPinterestwhichisa
goodplace to start but we can certainlypushforexpansionaswe launchthiscampaign.
Twitter: Twittermaybe the leastimportantaspectof oursocial mediaplatform, butthat
doesn’tmeanitisn’tvital. Insteadof creatingoriginal contentonTwitter,we willratheruse this
mediumtorepostcontentfromour othersites.We will alsouse Twittertorespondtoour
consumersandhave interactionwiththem. We currentlyhave 1,400 followersonTwitter.
Rewards App: To rewardcustomersfor theirloyalty,will be collaboratingwithStarbucksand
takingpart intheirmobile appspecialsforsmartphones andtablets.Every30 drinks,the
customerswill get afree box of chocolates,a $15.95 value.Thisis notonlya way to gain
consumerawareness aboutthe partnershipbetweenSeattle Chocolates andStarbucks,butit
givesStarbucksa benefitaswell,most likelyattractingmore people todownloadtheirapp,
7. whichwouldalsoconverttomore awarenessandbusinessforthem. Asof July2014, the app
had reached12 millionusersondifferentdevices.
Demand Capture
Packaging
Packagingwill be one of the most of the mostimportantfactors withinourcampaign.We feel thatone
of the aspectsthat makesourproduct unique willbe itsqualitypackagingcomplete withanemerald
green,suede finishandacomplimentarysatinbow.Thislookwill alignwiththe Starbuckssignature
colors,and followthe same formatasSeattle Chocolatesgiftitems.Initially,there will be one size,about
10oz, offeredthatfitsaround15 trufflesthatwill retail for$15.95. The box will be arectangularshape
that easilyslidesopen, andissecuredwithcleartape andthe satinbow.Dependingonthe seasonor
holiday,we maychoose tofeature a differentcoloredbow.Forexample,the consistentcolorwill be
brown,the box may feature ared bowfor the monthof December.The emeraldgreencolorof the box
will standoutwithStarbucks’otherproductofferingsandappeal toconsumerswhoare lookingforan
easygiftor a treatfor themselves.
Anotheraspectof the packagingwill alsobe the gifttag. Thiswill be a whimsical addition andcanalso
be themedtothe seasonorholiday.The tagwill feature ourtagline “We’re BringingSeattle toYou”with
a space to write toand fromon the back if the consumerchoosestogive the box as a gift.Thiswill add
additional personalizationtothe box andappeal to the consumeras an easy,convenientgifttogoalong
witha giftcard, coffee item,orjusta stand-alone gift.The tagwill be colorful andmade with quality
paperthat will addto the aestheticappeal.
Anotherfeature of the giftboxesandthe gifttag will alsobe the giftcard sleeve feature.The tagwill be
large enoughsothat if the consumerchooses,canslide the giftcardinthe sleeve.Thiswillgive the
chocolate box an additional appealtobeingavehicle asa giftcard holder,whichwill addanextra
incentive forpurchasingabox as itwill serve asa giftinit of itself aswell asa giftcard holder.
Additionally,onthe bottomof our package,we will includeourhashtaganda QR code.The hashtag will
be #trustseattle whichwe believe buildsoff the Starbucksbrandloyalty.Whencustomersuse a
smartphone take a picture of the QR code on the bottomof our package,theywill be directedtothe
Seattle Chocolateswebsite.Thiswill goalongway indrivingtraffictoour site andbuildingawarenessof
our products.The use of the QR code ensuresthatpotential customersmake itsafelytoourwebsiteand
do notget lostwhile lookingforoursite.
In-store Experience
Starbuckspridesitself onitsin-store experience withitssubtle lighting,inviting musicandcomfortable
seating.Youknowwhatto expectwhenyouwalkintoanyStarbucksacross the country.When walking
intoa Starbucks location (astand-alone store, ratherthanone attachedtoanotherstore) the wall of
retail productsandproductsfeaturedonthe low tables are easilynoticeableasthe customerwaitsin
8. line. We wouldlike tofeature ourchocolate boxesonthe lowertableswithclearsignage thatdraws
attentiontothe newproduct.We alsoplanto place the chocolate boxesrightunderthe register(where
the current snacksare located) underthe giftcards.Thiswill be anobviouspointof purchase sale,
ensuringthatthe productis noticeable,andcaneasilybe pairedwithagiftcard. This will provide
visibilityandconvenientaccessibilitytothe consumer,makingourchocolate the perfectgrab-n-gogift.
Sampling
CurrentlyStarbucksofferingsminiature drinksamplesonthe counterwhere the drinksare served.This
space in everyretail store willmake anideal space forconsumerstotry a truffle.The truffleswillbe
servedona tray, unwrapped,inawhite cupcake-like linersothe customercan quicklygraba chocolate
whentheypickuptheirdrink.Thiswill stimulatepurchasesinthe future andleave alastingimpression
on the customerwiththe taste and quality.Whenthe customerreturnstothe store,theywill be more
likelytopurchase.
Sales Promotion
Holiday drinks
We planon pairingoursalespromotionswithStarbucks’productstoutilizetheirstrongbrandloyalty.
We planon offeringa10% discountonSeattle Chocolates’productstoanyone whoordersone of
Starbucks’holidaydrinks.Starbucksoffersawide varietyof holidayblendsstartinginthe monthof
Novemberandwe are willingtogive a10% discounton ourchocolatesto anyone whoordersone of
these holidayblends.Starbuckstypicallyseesarise inbothtrafficandsalesduringthe holidayseason,
so we are hopingtocapitalize onthisandspreadawarenessof ourproductsto Starbucks’existing
customerbase.Last year,“Starbucks’core beverage businessgrew 9% inthe fourthquarter,”
(Kalogeropoulos.) The unique holidayblendsStarbucksoffershave becomesome of theirmostpopular
beverages,includingthe PumpkinSpice Latte andthe ChestnutPraline Latte.These drinkssellverywell,
so offeringadiscountonour productswhena customerbuysone of these unique seasonal drinks
shouldreallyencourage new customerstotryour products.
Featured chocolate, coffee drink
Anotherpromotional tacticwe planonutilizingisofferingafeatureddrinkinStarbucksthatismade
withSeattle Chocolates’premiumchocolate ingredients.Aswe statedearlier,the unique featured
drinksofferedatStarbuckstypicallysell prettywell,sowe expectplentyof new customerstotrya
featureddrinkwithouringredientsinit.We believe we canuse Starbuck’sbeveragestobuildloyaltyfor
our chocolates.If youenjoy awell-craftedbeverage,featuringSeattleChocolates’ingredients,you
wouldbe more likelytotryout ourchocolates.Asa featureddrink,Starbuckswoulddirectlymention
that the drinkfeaturedSeattle Chocolates’ingredientsandthe drinkwouldreceive betterpositioningon
the menu. Inadditiontospecificfeatureddrinksusingour ingredients,we alsowouldlike everydrinkin
the monthof Decemberthatrequireschocolate toexclusivelyuse SeattleChocolates’chocolate.We
believethisslighttweak toomanycustomers’routine drinkswouldgoalongway to drivingbusinessto
our chocolate products.
9. Starbucks themed chocolates
We are also excitedtoexpandincreatingone-of-kindchocolatesthatare soldexclusivelyatStarbucks.
Currently,Seattle Chocolatescarriesflavorslike pumpkinspice,cappuccinocrunch,andSanJuan sea
salt.In additiontothe flavorassortmentssoldinthe box,Seattle Chocolateswillalsofeature chocolate
flavorsinaccordance withthe seasonor holiday,basedonwell-knowncoffee drinks.Forexample,there
wouldbe a pumpkinspicedlatte chocolate andpeppermintmochachocolate.These Starbucksdrink
chocolate flavorsandtraditional chocolate flavorscouldserve asaperfectintegrationbetweenthe two
companies,aswell asthe Starbucksand Seattle Chocolatesfeatureddrink.
Budget
Overall Budget for Seattle’s Chocolates: $1,000,000
Seattle Chocolates Starbucks
-SCC will handle all manufacturing and
packaging costs
-SCC will pay for 30% of all collaborative
marketing occasions such as print ads,
events, and drive-thru banners
-SCC will pay for their own social media about
the partnership/product
-Starbucks will handle distribution of product
as well as all in store advertising costs
-Starbucks will pay for 70% of all collaborative
marketing occasions such as print ads,
events, and drive-thru banners
-Starbucks will pay for their own social media
about the partnership/product
Measures of Success
We will evaluateoursuccessbasedonincrease inbrandawarenessof Seattle Chocolates.We will
measure thisa couple of differentways.First,we will measureanincrease of engagementonsocial
media.ForFacebook,thiswill be trackedthroughtotal page likes,likesandcommentsonourposts,and
sharesof our content.For Twitter,thiswill be trackedthroughtotal favorites,retweetsof ourcontent,
replies,andclicks.OnInstagram,we will trackourfollowersandthe likesandcommentsonthe content
posted.OnPinterest,thiswill be trackedthroughthe numberof timesaPinshowsupinthe Home Feed,
searchresults,andcategoryfeed.ForFacebook,TwitterandInstagram, we will alsomeasure ourbrand
awarenessthroughengagementwithourhashtag#trustseattle.
A secondarymeasurementof ourbrandawareness will be sales.Ultimately,ourpartnershipwith
Starbucksis a wayto get our brandout there,andina marketthat isalreadytrustedbyconsumers.
Therefore,if we see anincrease insales,itwillbe aresultof the consumerrecognizingandtrustingour
brand.SeeingSeattle ChocolatesinStarbucksincreasesalesinthe otherplaceswhereourchocolates
are soldsince theywill recognize the brandname.
10. Team Profile
Mara Geist Grayson Andregg Nick Ramsey McKenzie Strickland Jenna Warner
Works Cited
Bolton,Dan."TeavanaGrowth CouldBe." "QuiteAmazing"WorldTea NewsbyPenton,1June 2015.
Web.01 Dec. 2015.
Klara,Robert."DidStarbucksBuy (andClose) LaBoulange Justto Get ItsRecipes?" AdWeek.AdWeek,22
June 2015. Web. 01 Dec.2015.