Starbucks Reserve Brand Audit

The objective of Phase 1 was to perform brand exploration and identify key brand associations for Starbucks. The research methodology included:

• Conducted an online survey with 85 respondents to assess brand awareness, personality, values, and beliefs.
• Performed ZMET (Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique) analysis with 10 respondents using 30 sample images to understand emotions, underlying reasons, and iconic meanings.
• Developed a Brand Concept Map to visualize Starbucks' brand equity.
• Conducted secondary research for additional insights into the company and its activities.

Key findings from Phase 1:

• Starbucks has high brand recognition with iconic meaning.
• Strong financial performance, outperforming market indices.
• Holds 39.8% market share among leading coffee chains in the US.
• Positive brand associations include warm ambiance, personalization, and high productivity.
• Emotional connections include feelings of being modernized, welcoming, and relaxing.
• Collective identity associations include sophistication, high self-esteem, and high social status.
• Potential negative brand associations in terms of attributes, benefits, and emotions were identified.
• Starbucks is actively fostering positive public opinions through innovative initiatives and social media engagement.

 The objective of Phase 2 was to leverage the brand insights gathered in Phase 1 to develop strategic recommendations for Starbucks. Key focus areas included:

• Conducted a competitive analysis to identify Points of Parity (POP) and Points of Difference (POD) in Starbucks' current brand positioning relative to key competitors.
• Evaluated Starbucks' brand architecture, with particular emphasis on the role and potential of Starbucks Reserve within the overall brand portfolio.
• Assessed brand elasticity and identified strategic leverage points to facilitate the successful brand extension of Starbucks Reserve.
• Performed a product lifecycle analysis of recent launches across various product categories, evaluating their alignment with Starbucks' brand equity.
• Analyzed the efficacy of Starbucks' integrated marketing communications (IMC) strategies in supporting brand extensions and new product introductions.
• Developed a brand risk assessment, focusing on potential brand dilution threats to Starbucks Reserve, and formulated mitigation strategies to preserve brand integrity.
• Synthesized findings to create actionable, data-driven recommendations for optimizing Starbucks' brand portfolio management and enhancing overall brand equity.