Integrated Marketing Communication for Starbucks Company - Case Study Example

Integrated marketing communication Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course Code: Date of Submission: Abstract The concept of integrated marketing communication has been discussed in this report. The report discussed the Starbucks Company background and the features of nеsрrеssо coffee product and its introduction in Australia. The public relations program has been implemented to build strong relationship between the customers and the marketing team. In addition, the report discussed competitive pricing strategy and the promotion of the coffee product through Starbucks gift bags. The nеsрrеssо coffee is distributed through stores outlets and the product is made of attractive flavor to attract the attention of the customers. Table of Contents Abstract 2 Table of Contents 3 Introduction 4 Company background and product description 4 Target market 5 Positioning strategy 5 Communication goal 6 Message strategy and executing tactics 6 Promotional mix and media strategy 7 Conclusion 8 References 9 Introduction Many organizations are developing and implementing integrated marketing communication with the aim of improving the relationship between the customers and the marketing team. IMC is the process that helps to integrate the feedback from customers, the product information and the organization and ensure that the information is consistent over time (Hoyer & MacInnis 2001). This report will discuss the concepts of integrated marketing communication as it has been applied by Starbucks Australia. The product selected for this assignment is nеsрrеssо coffee. Company background and product description The company selected for this assignment is Starbucks Company which is among the leading companies in coffee products globally. The Starbucks Company was introduced into the Australian market in the year 2000 and in the year 2006 the company opened its first store in South Australia. The company provides variety of coffee products including nеsрrеssо coffee (Starbucks Australia 2014). Due to the strategies which are applied by the company, it has managed to open many stores outlets and operates in more than 60 countries globally. This means that the company has effective market share due to the quality of coffee products and services it offers to the customers that help to meet the diversified needs of the customers. The company has invested in public relations and this has led to its competitive advantage. Nеsрrеssо coffee is one of the unique coffee products which are sold by Starbucks Company. The product is unique due to its features which help to meet the needs of the customers. For instance, nеsрrеssо coffee is rich in terms of flavor and has lingering aroma which makes it attractive to the customers hence it meets the needs of the customers (Starbucks Australia 2014). The nеsрrеssо coffee also is caramel sweet and this makes helps to provide clear foundation for foundation lattes. In this effect, the product is effective in meeting the diversified needs of the customers hence it has made Starbucks to gain competitive advantage since the customers prefer its products. Target market The target market for the nеsрrеssо coffee is the customers from the South Australia. The target market includes the working employees who can be able to but the coffee product. This means that the marketing team will concentrate on marketing the product to the civil servants and the business people who work and are able to buy the coffee products (Hoyer & MacInnis 2001). In addition, the other target market for the nеsрrеssо coffee is the young people aged between 20 and 35 years old. This target market was selected because it helps to provide necessary nutrients to the young people who require the ingredients for growth. This means that the marketing team should be able to conduct market research to determine the needs of the target market in terms of pricing and distribution so that the needs of the customers can be met hence they can be satisfied and be retained in the organization. Positioning strategy The positioning strategy of Starbucks for the nеsрrеssо coffee is brand positioning strategy. The brand positioning strategy is concerned with improving the reputation of the brand in the market so that the customers can develop positive attitude towards the brand. The rationale of using the brand positioning strategy is that it will help to improve the competitiveness of the organization. This is because the customers will perceive the brand effectively in the market and this will help to attract and retain customers leading to increased sales of nеsрrеssо coffee (Hoyer & MacInnis 2001). Brand positioning has also helped to improve the positioning of the organization terms of the market share and reputation. With the brand positioning strategies applied, the customers will develop positive attitude towards the brand hence the organisation will experience increased sales. In achieving this, the integrated marketing communication has been applied. Market research is conducted to collect the views of the customers since they provide their feedback and the feedback is acted upon effectively. In this effect, the brand positioning is helpful in improving the reputation of the brand and this has helped to improve the competitive advantage of Starbucks since it has helped to meet the needs and expectations of the target audience. Communication goal The integrated marketing communication which has been implemented by Starbucks is through public relations. The company has invested on getting the feedback from the customers and responding effectively to the feedback. The company is trying to achieve the competitive advantage as a result of implementing the public relations as a way of implementing integrated marketing communication. The aim that the integrated marketing communication wants to achieve is to create brand awareness among the customers (Hsu & Powers 2002). After engaging the customers in decision making, the organisation aims at building strong brand loyalty among the customers since they will know that the coffee product meet the required standards hence they can be able to buy the products. This helps to improve the performance of the organisation in the market. In addition, the integrated marketing communication program that is being implemented by the company also helps to build good relationship between the customers and the marketing team. The success of the organisation depends on the ability to react effectively on the feedback of the customers. For instance, the customers are asked to leave their opinions after visiting the restaurant regarding the satisfaction of the quality of products and service given (Hsu & Powers 2002). This is important because it helps to link the customers with the organisation and this leads to good relationship hence the organisation can experience repeat customers and this leads to competitive advantage. The reason why the company is implementing the public relations/participation program is because of the changing needs of the customers. The needs of the customers keep changing and in order to meet their expectations, there should be public relations and participation so that the target market can provide their feedback (Hsu & Powers 2002). This is important since the coffee product can be made in a way that can help to meet the needs of the customers. Message strategy and executing tactics The marketing goals are being achieved with the help of the marketing strategies which are being implemented. The message strategy that is employed is engaging the stakeholders in decision making. The stakeholders of the company are engaged in decision making either through annual general meeting or through their representatives. This is the most effective message tactic which is applied by the organisation. In addition, the marketing team communicates with the stakeholders through their feedback. The customer feedback is important as it helps to understand the satisfaction of the customers. The customers are selected randomly and provided with feedback forms so that they can fill to determine their satisfaction (Jobber 2001). In this way, the customers are provided with the opportunity to communicate with the marketing team. Moreover, the target market was sent the Starbucks gift bags carrying the message of the product. The aim of the gift bags is to create awareness of the brand and this is important because it helps to create awareness of the brand in the market. The other message strategy that is applied is through company brochures and leaflets. The company provides the customers with leaflets informing them their coffee products including nеsрrеssо coffee and the pricing strategies. Any interested customers can take the leaflet or the bronchus and go through to understand the products and services give and the uniqueness of the products. This helps the customers to make effective buying decisions (Jobber 2001). As a result of this, the marketing team helps the company to create awareness of its products and services which is one of the objectives of marketing. In addition, the customer feedback is also important in improving the quality of products and services and this helps to influence the satisfaction of the customers. As a result, the company has been able to improve communication with the customers leading to the achievement of the objective of creating good relationship with the customers. The main message of the ICM program is that the product is effective in meeting the needs of the customers. The message aims at improving the perception of the customers regarding the nеsрrеssо coffee and that the feedback of the customers is given the priority (Starbucks Australia 2014). In this effect, the ICM program has helped to convey the message regarding the quality of the product and the commitment of the organisation towards meeting the needs of the customers. Promotional mix and media strategy The nеsрrеssо coffee is made to meet the needs of the customers. The product is made attractively to meet the needs of the customers. For instance, the coffee is rich in flavor with lingering aroma and caramelly sweetness. This makes the coffee attractive to the customers who have its tasty. In addition, the promotion of the coffee was done using the Starbucks gift bags to the customers which conveys the message about the product. This promotion is effective since it is cost effective and the message which is conveyed does not evade easily (Hoyer & MacInnis 2001). Furthermore, the pricing strategy applied is competitive pricing strategy. This strategy helps to build the strong brand of the coffee and gains favor from the customers who are conscious of the satisfaction they get from using the product. This is done with the aim of improving the nеsрrеssо coffee value. Finally, the distribution strategy that is applied is stores outlets which are strategically to meet the needs of the customers. For instance, the stores are located South Australia to meet the target audience. These strategies are effective since they helped to improve the performance of the organisation and this is because the performance of the company in the new market has been increasing. Conclusion This report discussed the integrated marketing communication which is the process of ensuing that information flows effectively throughout the business functions in an organisation. The product that was selected is nеsрrеssо coffee and the company is Starbucks. The brand positioning strategy has been used by the company to create awareness of the coffee product by improving the relationship with the customers. The main integrated communication program that has been applied by the company is public relations programs. The customer feedback is also received effectively and responded appropriately to meet the expectations of the customers. In this effect, the integrated marketing communication has helped to improve the success of nеsрrеssо coffee. References Hoyer, W.D & MacInnis, D. J. (2001). Consumer Behavior, 2nd Edn. USA: Houghton Mifflin Company. Hsu, C. & Powers, T. (2002). Marketing Hospitality. London: John Wiley & Sons. Jobber, D. (2001). Principles and Practice of Marketing, 3rd Edn. New York: McGraw-Hill Education, Starbucks Australia. (2014). About Us. retrieved on 29th April 2014 from http://www.starbucks.com.au/The-Starbucks-Story.php Read More