Starbucks and the Groundswell

Whenever we go into Starbuck, we feel more relaxed. I find myself going into Starbucks whenever it's nearby and whenever I want a specific beverage. As opposed to Dunkin Donuts' "on-the-go" vibe, the dark lighting and the contemporary music serve the customer a lounging mood that creates a coffeehouse atmosphere and makes them just want to relax with their coffee instead of go out and about. For me, the many variety of beverages and their names give me the feeling that I'm drinking the best-quality drink around, being pricey and all. Overall, Starbucks gives people relaxation and a sense that they can accomplish whatever work they have to do and feel relaxed (like I am right now as I type this blog post and drink my hot Cinnamon Dolce Frappuccino).

One thing that makes Starbucks stand out to me is that the baristas cater to their customers. Another thing is that Starbucks has such a loyal following on social media, wether it be on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Their desire to "embrace the groundswell", as Li and Bernoff state in Groundswell, allows their customers to become an integral part of the way they innovate and improve overall (pg.  183).

Both the Facebook (38 million likes) and Instagram (3.7 million followers) accounts of Starbucks offer store updates, visually captivating pictures of their products and freedom for their customers to give out feedback (positive or negative). On Facebook, Starbucks can actually reply back to anyone who leaves a post on their wall, wether it be a compliment or a complaint. On Facebook, Starbucks can actually reply back to anyone who leaves a post on their wall, wether it be a compliment or a complaint. All compliments are praised and shared to spread good reputation and all complaints are read and responded with the best customer service. For example:

Even through nasty comments (all companies will have negative comments), it is important for the company to do their best to assist the customer in every way possible. This ensures that the company is trustworthy as is Starbucks.

Their twitter +Starbucks Coffee , which is 7.2 million followers strong, is where the company keeps a live presence that keeps the people on the go informed and gets them thinking about their brand with updates, pictures and interesting quotes, such as this one:

As stated in Chapter 9, embracing the groundswell is a crucial way to improve a company because not only do the people give out their opinions fast and for free but because it allows the company to never stop improving; and Starbucks know how to do it well. For this reason, Twitter is by far the best social media site for a brand to create and spread their presence throughout the social universe. The ease of following an account, the quick 140-character tweets and the availability on mobile phones not only encourages Twitter users to express what they're thinking at the moment but to do so wherever they are, creating an endless amount of feedback to the company.

Starbuck's twitter also shows how much they appreciate the followers that mention them by retweeting their posts that contain @starbucks.

To get twitter users even more involved with the growth of Starbucks, a twitter page called https://twitter.com/MyStarbucksIdea  exists with 48.4 K followers solely to get new ideas for products from ther very customers. 

And since Twitter is used more than Facebook, Starbucks quickly replies to any general comment or question that's asked by a person who posts the question and mentions @starbucks. 

Companies like this one should make their customers feel like they are important and that their opinions are valuable. Like mentioned before, Twitter (and Facebook too) not only listens to what you have to say, but responds accordingly to make the commenter feel like they are contributing to the growth of the company. 

https://twitter.com/Starbucks
http://instagram.com/starbucks/
https://www.facebook.com/Starbucks