Starbucks Chap 7 Malhotra - 1121 Words

M07_MALH4481_04_SE_WC07.QXD 6/8/11 1:16 PM Page 2 ONLINE VIDEO CASE 7.1 Naresh K. Malhotra, Basic Marketing Research: Integration of Social Media, 4e. Copyright  © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall. STARBUCKS: Staying Local While Going Global Through Marketing Research Named after the first mate in the novel Moby-Dick, Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world. As of 2010, there were more than 16,700 stores in over 50 countries including more than 8,850 company-operated stores and more than 7,850 licensed stores. The company’s objective is to establish Starbucks as the most recognized and respected brand in the world. It expects to achieve this by continuing with rapid expansion of retail stores†¦show more content†¦Growing a brand overseas, however, can be different from doing so in Starbucks’ home market. According to Thomas Yang, former senior VP of International Marketing, this difference in growth behavior in different countries can be attributed to Starbucks’ different stages of development in the United States and different parts of the world. In international markets, Starbucks is at the brand development and establishment stage, allowing consumers to discover what the brand is about and what the Starbucks experience is about. In contrast, Starbucks has had a presence in North America since 1971. In the United States, the Starbucks experience is pretty well-known and understood, and thus it is in a different stage. Starbucks has been extremely successful in achieving its objectives. It has been able to maintain a local feel despite massive growth around the globe. It has done this by stressing its culture and placing the focus on its employees and customers through marketing research. Starbucks hopes to continue staying local while going global through marketing research. Conclusion Starbucks has gone from a small local coffee startup in the 1970s to the largest coffeehouse company in the world. This success has largely been due to the strong connection it has been able to foster with its consumers and to