Integrated marketing plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Integrated marketing plan - Essay Example According to the Italian tradition coffee houses are like a place for conversation and that provides the customers with a sense of community. From the very beginning Starbucks has been a very different company. The company has not only celebrated the coffee and rich tradition but also successfully brought a feeling of connection. The company endeavors to bring an exceptional experience to the lives of its target market (Clark, Taylor 2007; Starbucks Corporation 2011) Starbucks coffee is a globally acclaimed coffee brand. The brand boasts about its quality and charges a high premium based on this product attribute. The famous coffee brand is in its maturity stage. Many competitors have entered the marketplace when they saw the first coffee house growing. Quality and high prices are not just the only attributes of the product of Starbucks Coffee. Starbucks coffee is of high quality and it is ensured that there is a consistency of quality and taste throughout the globally operating chai n (Bussing-Burks, M. 2009) It is because of its high quality that the brand charges a high premium for its products. There are several other product attributes, other than the price and quality that contribute towards the image of the products offered under the brand name of â€Å"Starbucks†. ... The primary target market of Starbucks consists of men and women aged between 25 to 40 years from urban areas and usually with high incomes. This target segment accounts for almost half the sales of the Starbucks. In order to appeal this target audience Starbucks works keep its products current and position them in such a way that they become a status symbol. Then comes the target market of young adults aged between 18 to 24 years. This segment accounts for 40 percent of the sales of the company. This target audience looks up to Starbucks because it positions itself as place where college students can hang out and socialize with new people. Starbucks appeal to this consumer segment by introducing new technology and by projecting a cool image of the brand. A current example of new technology would be the installation of Wi-Fi that the company has managed to introduce in all its stores. It makes it easier for the students whether they want to hang in there and work on their projects or it can be that they just want to hang in there to enjoy the coffee. The relaxing atmosphere provided by the Starbucks stores is an appealing factor to both the adult and young adult target audience. Now moving to the third target market segment that Starbucks is serving, comprising of kids and teens aged between 13 to 17 years. Though this segment is not large and accounts for only 2 percent of the total Starbucks sales, but still the company focuses on this segment. The main reason for the focus is that it is mainly the parents who purchase items for their kids. There are several products that Starbucks has just made for the kids and teenagers. Starbucks do not target the kids segment directly but it does make sure that its products are kid-friendly. The company