Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz recently announced that the caffeinated beverage juggernaut will be launching a delivery service in select markets in the second half of 2015.
The service will essentially be a, "...standing order of Starbucks delivered hot to your desk daily". (Source: CNN)
Further details aren't known at this time, however, after reviewing a fair number of coffee consumer tweets and comments on related articles, opinion seems to be divided as to how successfully this will play out.
My initial thought: Starbucks delivery is already a huge success, though it has less to do with delivering coffee, and more to do with storytelling, customer experience and smart brand management.
A NEW SPIN ON A FAMILIAR STORY
Take a second to Google, "Starbucks delivery", and take a look at the major media that is covering this announcement: CNN, TIME, USA Today, MSN, CNBC, The Wall Street Journal, The Toronto Star, The Globe & Mail, Fortune, Business Insider, Business Week... not too shabby if you ask me, and I've only looked at 3 pages of results.
Also, taking a look at social buzz over the last week, "Starbucks Delivery", has been mentioned on Twitter over 14,000 times! Again, not bad at all.
Starbucks is getting this level of attention because - well - it's Starbucks, sure, but they've created a meaningful and relatable story with this new concept. People are passionate about coffee and are already predisposed to talk about their passions, but what makes this a story worth covering and discussing is that the idea of delivering coffee is just a little bit ridiculous, and also just a little bit awesome.
What stories does your business have to tell that may be meaningful to your targeted audience on social media?
AN EXPERIENCE WORTH SHARING
With a simple two-sentence announcement, Starbucks has demonstrated a willingness to find new ways to delight dedicated customers. Even if their delivery service model doesn't work en masse, those who experience having their daily dose of caffeine delivered straight to their workplace will be thrilled at the novelty, share their experiences with envious coworkers, and their loyalty and affinity for the brand will be reinforced.
Starbucks is creating a customer experience that is exciting, unexpected, and that will certainly be worth sharing.
What experiences does your business provide that are worth sharing on social media?
A NEW REASON TO LOVE THE BRAND
Starbucks in inarguably a juggernaut of a brand and company, but they're not resting on their laurels. They have legions of loyal customers that happily fork over way too much of their hard earned cash every morning for their go-to beverage with an overly convoluted name and details of personalization.
But Starbucks is smart enough to realize that having the same brand experience - no matter how special - will begin to fade over time. Finding new experiences, or even just adding little wrinkles to a tried and true equation, can be enough of a reason for customers to fall in love with a brand all over again, or remind them why they loved the brand in the first place.
What is your plan to evolve your brand so that consumers will continually find new reasons to remain loyal?
These are just a few of the reasons why I think this idea and announcement are incredibly smart, but as always, I'd love to hear your thoughts.