Doing the crossword puzzle over a cup of coffee in Starbucks is just one of the authentic rewarding everyday moments many customers enjoy. This promotion stays genuine by highlighting what many people already come to Starbucks for, and by deepening their interaction with the store. Instead of going the trendy route, Starbucks stayed true to its customers.

And by staying true to its customers, Starbucks keeps its marketing authentic.

2. EVOKE FEELINGS,
NEVER PRESCRIBE FEELINGS

Pedantic is not in the vocabulary of Starbucks marketers, so preachy platitudes do not come across in the marketing messages they create. For these marketers, the words and imagery must work together to convey a sense of place, comfort, or mystique.

In fact, far from promoting its own agenda, Starbucks has gone out of its way to foster discussion and discourse in its stores through its “The Way I See It” campaign, in which notable artists, activists, educators, and athletes are quoted on Starbucks cups. The diverse group of voices ranges from Chuck D and Quincy Jones to Deepak Chopra, Rick Warren, Michelle Kwan, and Armistead Maupin.

Launched in 2005, the quotes stir reflection, debate, and in some instances, controversy. The aim is to spark conversation in the old-fashioned coffeehouse tradition that Starbucks has always embraced, and evoking the ideal of a place where ideas are shared. The campaign has since added quotes from Starbucks customers, further enhancing the concept while at the same time getting loyal Starbucks fans involved in the conversation.

3. ALWAYS SAY WHO YOU ARE, NEVER WHO YOU ARE NOT

When a business says who they are not in marketing materials, they are actually saying more about their competition than they are about themselves. You’ll never see Starbucks referring to its competitors in any of its promotional materials. The company doesn’t want to bring any attention to the competition. So while Starbucks will tout the high qualities of its newest Frappuccino blended beverage, for example, it will not advertise why its cold, creamy coffee drink is better than what’s being offered by other coffeehouses. While you will see Starbucks mentioning that it sources, roasts, and sells Fair Trade Certified™ coffees, it purposely chooses not to compare its Fair Trade coffees with other coffee retailers who sell similar Fair Trade coffees. By doing this, the company keeps the attention where it wants it: on itself.

4. STAY CONNECTED TO FRONT-LINE EMPLOYEES

Starbucks believes if an employee doesn’t respect or feel connected to a marketing program, then customers will not either. After all, Starbucks relies on its front-line employees to communicate its marketing messages to customers. And if front-line employees cannot connect with the marketing program, they will not make connections with customers about it.

Every November, when Starbucks releases its heavily anticipated Christmas Blend coffee, it’s an important time for stores and employees, who get an immediate increase in demand for the popular blend. Starbucks store managers can always expect a voice mail from Howard Schultz on the morning that Christmas Blend is launched. He’ll leave the message from his Seattle home early in the morning, after having just brewed a batch on his French press, and share memories of what the holidays mean to him, his family, and the company.

The voice mails are one way that Howard communicates something deeper—about the coffee, the experience, and the company’s roots—to Starbucks employees. In 2002, as the company’s endeavors started embracing so many new things extending well beyond coffee, Howard took to leaving monthly voice mails to all stores sharing stories about his favorite coffees in order to return the focus of coffee to front-line employees. Other company leadership in the various regions followed suit, using voice mail, rather than simply typing an e-mail, to communicate the feeling and tone behind the experience Starbucks tries to impart to customers through coffee. By sharing their enthusiasm and their enjoyment, Howard and the other company executives highlight for the front-line staff the why of what they’re all doing, not just the how.

5. DELIVER ON ALL PROMISES MADE

Nothing will turn customers off more than promising something and not delivering. Authentic marketing is strictly tied to this, and it applies to everything that’s promised, from supporting local charities, to offering benefits to all employees, to providing the perfect shot of espresso. Starbucks adheres to this right down to the photos of drinks it displays. Marketers at Starbucks would wince seeing a pristine-looking beverage on instore signage. Take a look at a sign next time you’re waiting for your barista to hand you your drink. For a sign featuring Marble Mocha Macchiato, as an example, even the chocolate drizzle lattice pattern on the foamed milk will be just a little bit off. The company wants its signage to look real, slightly imperfect, as if a barista just finished making it. And knowing that no human could ever perfect the chocolate drizzle lattice pattern, the sign reflects that.

Contrast that to what you see in fast-food advertising: the thick hamburger patty covered with red-ripe tomatoes, and leafy lettuce, and thick-cut onions on a fresh-from-the-oven bun.