Starbucks’ Initiatives
Initially, the company’s CEO decided to hire people with open minds in order to boost its growth and create new opportunities for increasing profits. Howard Schultz added Howard Behar to his management team because he had much experience in marketing and product development (Buchanan & Simmons, 2009). A tradition to communicate with customers and share knowledge about good coffee was born once the first coffee shop was opened. Communication brought people together and launched word of mouth; thus, the customer base proliferated. Additionally, the stakeholders were affluent individuals with genius ideas towards Starbucks’ expansion (Buchanan & Simmons, 2009). He offered a concept of a place where people would feel comfortable in, apart from their home. What is more, Schultz aimed to expand the company’s influence and become a worldwide chain of coffee shops. Product expansion was one of the significant initiatives undertaken by Schultz. The team initially tried to experiment with different recipes of beverages in order to attract more clients and serve more flavors. For instance, Frappuccino was one of Starbucks’ most successful drinks ever developed (Buchanan & Simmons, 2009). The regular versions of this coffee kind were modified seasonally and became the basis of other beverages’ recipes (Buchanan & Simmons, 2009). Furthermore, Starbucks collaborated with miscellaneous corporations, including Pepsi, Dreyer’s, and Jim Beam. Finally, the Starbucks owners opened new coffee shops in popular locations so that they could attract many people. Specifically, they were located in business areas to attract businesspeople. All these initiatives have significantly fueled the company’s growth which led to the further worldwide expansion of the brand.
Foreign Expansion
Foreign expansion signified that Starbucks could reach numerous domestic markets and influence international ones. This should allow the company to introduce new products to a broad audience and ensure comprehensive customer coverage so that new entrants cannot receive a market share (Buchanan & Simmons, 2009). Since the corporation’s growth strategy is market expansion, the owners want to penetrate as many countries as possible to profit and become a number one coffee shop chain. Additionally, penetrating the foreign markets played a significant role in establishing wise collaborative projects with global companies. When the company entered new markets, it managed to raise awareness about what an authentic coffee shop should look like. Even though Starbucks’s owners were unsure if they would be accepted in all countries, they had the certainty that the product would be successful in many of them.
Revegetating Starbucks
Bringing back Schultz was one of the significant factors contributing to the revival of Starbucks. The executives resisted his return for a long time, but at some point, they finally allowed him to open an espresso bar in downtown Seattle. Gradually the business grew: there were more and more visitors, and a queue began to form on the street. The coffee shop became a meeting place where an exciting atmosphere prevailed. Starbucks organized concerts with the participation of famous musicians, inviting influential figures of the city. Attracting the attention of reputable people, Starbucks launched word of mouth about itself. In addition, TV campaigns were a popular means of advertising the company. Numerous TV channels broadcast the Starbucks advertisement, which attracted people to the coffee shops.
References
Buchanan, L., & Simmons, C. (2009). Troubles brew at Starbucks. Ivey ID: 909A02. Web.