Product and Branding Strategies (Starbucks) Essay

Product and Branding Strategies (Starbucks) - Essay Example2009) It is because of its mettlesome quality that the brand charges a noble premium for its harvest-times. There are several other carrefour attri moreoveres, other than the price and quality that contribute towards the image of the crops offered under the brand name of Starbucks. Product billet Map Other product attributes of Starbucks burnt umber include taste, richness, features, design, style, innovation and customer returns. These together combine to congest the brand image. But for the product military position map, there are two primary attributes that support been centre upon. The first attribute is the innovation and the second attribute is the customer work. universe is necessary for the positioning of the product because customer needs and wants change with time and the only way to meet the changing demand is by dint of innovation. Customer suffice is also a primary aspect of positioning because it always adds value to the customers coffee experience at Starbucks. If innovation is not break, then the brand might fail to serve its quarry market in the long run. It cannot come up with new products and cannot create demand of its new products which only if means that it will fail to open use of the opportunities available. Customer service on the other flip over is a real important attribute that can help retaining the customers and attracting prospective. Consumers always want to go for the products that stick out with the customer service. Starbucks incorporates both these primary attributes into its products. Starbucks specializes in gourmet coffee and there are several competitors that have entered the market of specialized coffee. These competitors include McDonalds and Dunkin Donuts. The reason for choosing these competitors is that they do not charge as high a premium as does Starbucks though the product category is same. Starbucks heavily invests in its customer s ervice because it believes that faithful customers are the backbone of its success and it is the most effective way of acquiring more loyal customers. For the attribute of innovation, Starbucks has made its own Research and Development team (R&D). The type and level of investment that Starbucks make in its R&D team is notable. It gives a lead to the brand but this gives a pleader to the competitors as well because they can wait to imitate the products. Innovation at Starbucks and also the customer service are high. At McDonalds customer service is high but innovation of the coffee product is low. Dunkin Donuts is low on both the attributes. It is low on the innovation attribute and also the customer service attribute. Following is the product positioning map of Starbucks with respect to its competitors. Customer Service High Starbucks McDonalds Innovation Low High Dunkin Donuts Low Starbucks is present in the upper right corner of the product positioning map which means that it is both high in innovation and customer service. Similarly McDonalds is present in the upper left corner signification that it is high in customer service but low in the attribute of innovation. And finally the Dunkin Donuts which is present in the lower left corner of the map, meaning that the coffee brand is both low on innovation and customer service. Brand Strategy in relation to the Target Market Starbucks target audience mainly comprises of the upscale coffee drinkers. Starbucks has a very well defined target audience. It has a target market in each age member