This document analyzes Starbucks' social media presence and strategy. It discusses Starbucks' Facebook fan page, comparing its content and engagement to competitors like Costa and McCafe. It then provides a SWOT analysis of Starbucks' Facebook page and insights into similarities and differences between the companies. Recommendations include increasing interaction through activities and adding cultural context to new products and events. The document also contrasts the "front stage" public image Starbucks projects through social media versus behind-the-scenes efforts like environmental initiatives.

1. Social Media Analysis
Advertising Media Planning • Zhai Mengjie
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2. STARBUCKS
Social Media Analysis Agenda
INTRODUCING STARBUCKS COFFEE
STARBUCKS FACEBOOK FANPAGE
COMPETITORS OF STARBUCKS
SWOT ANALYSIS
INSIGHTS
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR STARBUCKS
BEHIND-THE-STARBUCKS-SCENE: FRONT STAGE vs. BACKSTAGE
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3. STARBUCKS
“ To inspire and nurture the human spirit”
•Starbucks is a coffee chain of U.S.,
established in 1971. Now it is the world's
largest coffee chain, whose headquarters
is located in Seattle, Washington, USA.
• Starbucks was a small coffee retailer
until
the
current
chairman
Howard
Schultz purchased it in 1987, and Schultz
changed it to a dark green café. Since
then he led the company across several
milestones.
•In June 1992, Starbucks was listed on
the stock market as the first professional
coffee
company, which rapidly promote
business growth and brand development.
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4. STARBUCKS
“ To inspire and nurture the human spirit”
• In addition to coffee, Starbucks also provide
tea, cakes, pies and other goods. The
creative coffee cups of Starbucks are as
popular as coffee itself. There are nearly
12,000 Starbucks stores across the world,
throughout North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East and the
Pacific.
• To some extent, coffee consumption is a
cultural
consumption,
for
cultural
communication is needed in an environment
created by cafe culture which can infect
customers, allowing them to enjoy and to form
a good interactive experience. Through coffee,
Starbucks sends a special taste to customers.
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5. STARBUCKS
Facebook Fan Page
•Starbucks uses its Facebook Fanpage to interact with its customers, promote
their new products and raise some events . In addition to the official fanpage,
there are also a number of Starbucks fanpages that cater to different locations
and areas where Starbucks is open, like Starbucks UK, Starbucks Brasil,
Starbucks Mexico, Starbuckscoffee Myeongdong and so on. The following
contents are based on the official one.
•Starbucks has 35,330,159 Likes
. The Facebook page updates
frequently but irregularly, sometimes once a day, and sometimes once a week.
There are many likes and comments about the updated pictures.
•The content can be categorized by means of:
•Promotional - posts that advertise Starbucks goods and services such as
new products, important issues of Starbucks like “Sustainable Store
Design in Action” to attract fans.
• Interactive - posts that require consumer responses like the event
discussing how to make iced coffee better with experts , and funny creative
pictures that cause resonate.
•Personal - posts that are made by starbucks, including photos, restaurant
pictures, and the like.
• Informative - posts that include recipes( not many).
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6. STARBUCKS
Facebook Fan Page
The good:
July is the hottest month in a year,
and when you’re tortured summer
with sweat, maybe the picture of
ice coffee will cool you and wake
up your demand for ice coffee.
The link is given and you can
obtain
a
lot
of
professional
knowledge of ice coffee from
experts. It’s good to interact with
consumers and to promote new
products friendly.
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7. STARBUCKS
Facebook Fan Page
The bad:
This picture is moving, and the text “Fathers teach us courage. Dads teach us
joy!” is also able to raise spiritual resonance. But neither of them have
relationship with Starbucks or coffee. Attention to the first comment showing in
the page, “coffee teaches us energy!” Maybe Starbucks can learn from him!
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8. STARBUCKS
Facebook Fan Page
The bad:
And among the comments, there are some negative words about
Starbucks. Although Starbucks gave quick response, the words also had some
bad influence.
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9. STARBUCKS
Competitors of STARBUCKS
•Costa was founded in London by brothers
named Bruno and Sergio in 1971. Based on
traditional Italian baking method, they add it slow
baking. Now you can find Costa stores all over
the world.
1,035,507 Likes
•McCafe is a coffee brand owned by
McDonald. It was born in Australia in 1993.
Now you can see Mccafe as an independent
coffee shop, and also it can stand in a
corner of McDonald.
21,024 Likes.
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10. COSTA
Facebook Fan Page
The good:
“We're reminiscing over our #CostaNutty photo competition this morning. How
nutty was this image??? Thanks for the image Hollie Elizabeth Morris!”
Organizing an interactive game to attract customers' participation, and posting
the photos on the page, all these sound interesting. The picture posted is funny
and gives a perfect advertisement.
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11. COSTA
Facebook Fan Page
…
The bad:
This picture shows Costa’s new product for summer. It looks delicious and we
all want to have a taste, but it appears too many times on the page, 8 times
from June to August. It will cause aesthetic fatigue of visitors, and they may
think that the operator of the facebook fanpage is lazy and boring.
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12. MCCAFE
Facebook Fan Page
The good:
The picture and text “who wants one” are attractive, which is good for
communication and interaction. Although these are only two cups of common
coffee, they convey the friendship and kindness of the brand. The comment “I
miss Oro Frappe!!”is a good proof.
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13. MCCAFE
Facebook Fan Page
The bad:
This picture is a failure. On one hand, it has nothing to do with the brand. On
the other hand, negative sentences are unfit to appear here, especially dirty
words. That will cause your visitors uncomfortable. The comment circled tells.
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14. STARBUCKS
SWOT Analysis
Strengths:
The contents on facebook are quite fruitful, including pictures, short stories,
events and so on. The advertisements for products are friendly, not hard.
Starbucks updates the fanpage fluently which can make a good relationship
with consumers.
Weaknesses:
Interactive contents are short, and there is some useless information on its
fanpage.
Opportunities:
On one hand, facebook is very popular among young people who account for a
significant part of Starbucks’ consumers. On the other hand, with the fast step
of the society, many people choose fast food and drinks like Starbucks. So
they may view the pictures on Starbucks’ facebook while drinking a cup of
Starbucks coffee.
Threats:
Starbucks’ competitors are making efforts to run their facebook fanpage, too.
So what Starbucks needs is not only to make coffee better but also to make its
fanpage better.
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15. STARBUCKS
INSIGHTS
Similarities:
All the three brands promote their products by pictures and text. They all
pay emphasis to promotion and interaction.
Differences:
The content of Starbucks’ page is more plenty than the others. It not only
promote new products, but also publish some activities to attract visitors.
To the products, there are kinds of coffee, and also you can see many
beautiful cups and sweet dessert on Starbucks’ page. Costa’s page pays more
emphasis on events and activities. Mccafe’s page is in a poor maintenance.
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16. STARBUCKS
Recommendations
Starbucks should pay more attention to interaction. For example, to
publish some activities by this platform, like a “drawing competition”.
Consumers may get a free empty cup when they buy Starbucks’ products, and
they can draw on the cup and then post the photo of the cup on the page.
Starbucks will choose some photos to post on its fanpage. The photo getting
the most “Likes” will be the winner.
Add cultural code to new products and activities, so that when clients
enjoy the delicacy, they will feel a sense of story and mood. The story can be
posted on the fanpage.
In some important days of Starbucks, editor of its fanpage can post the
stories or events happened on that day before. Visitors can know Starbucks
more and experience the growing of the brand.
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17. STARBUCKS
Front stage vs. Backstage
Front stage ：
On March 26 of this year, if you buy a
pound of Tribute Blend (or Tribute Blend VIA),
you can get a free 12oz drink. (But in US and
Canada only)This event was posted on
Starbucks’ facebook fanpage.
We can see Starbucks’ saleswomen’s
dress through this picture and gain a
friendly impression of Starbucks stores.
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18. STARBUCKS
Front stage vs. Backstage
Backstage:
Starbucks is doing the environmental protection. In 2003(up to May 15), they
logged over 400,000 hours of service. That conveys their social responsibility
to consumers and make consumers know that they not only sale coffee or
cookies, but also do many other important p ublic things at the backstage.
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