For my course Foundations of Media Persuasion I was asked to evaluate a commercial brand based on what it does online. For this assignment I chose Starbucks, just because I love their products.
I think Starbucks is doing a pretty good job online. Its website contains a lot of information, including information about the products, drink and food nutrition, values and responsibility, goals and progress of the brand and it gives customers the opportunity to shop and buy some products. I feel like the website is complete because it gives the user all of the information it possibly needs. In addition, Starbucks has a good Facebook page. Starbucks posts many status updates with pictures, which is a good way to remind their fans about their products. They also seem to adapt their updates to the season of the year, to events or to specific groups of people. This keeps the brand constantly at the top of people's minds. Overall Starbucks communicates a happy mood, and the idea that a Starbucks product is the right product for everyone, anytime, anywhere.
However, what I don't really see at the Facebook page is interaction. Starbucks isn't really asking their fans any questions. I feel like the brand could get even more interaction and engagement if it would try harder to evoke reactions or make people act upon their status updates. For instance, it can simply ask the fans to share the post if they agree with the message of the post. Another idea is to come up with a specific promo or action to get people to do something. For instance, Starbucks could ask its fans to create a new mug, to come up with the best slogan for the fall season, to make a video that shows how much they love Starbucks, or to enroll for a contest about a new (flavor for a) product. People have to process so much information and advertisements every day, that I think a brand really needs to make its fans become active and let them participate. I feel like nowadays it's not just the organization that makes a great brand, it's also the consumers. Especially the consumers.
