“A brand is only as strong and as recognizable as the market in which it exists. If the brand can go beyond the confines of its immediate community and be appreciated much further away from home, it achieves wider market and the chance to survive, thrive and grow much larger than initially expected”.                        

       Personal conviction 

“Starbucks coffee” from Starbucks Corporation, Seattle, Washington, United States is one of the world’s most recognizable coffee brands. With 15,011 stores around the world, it would be impossible not to have heard about Starbucks coffee either through advertisement or an actual visit to the store. Starbucks stores have been continuously promoted as the “third place”: a place to go when you are not at home or work and is equipped to make you continuously enjoy the experience of drinking coffee. The simplicity in design of the stores makes them comfortable places to spend time in and the “call your order” culture, which allows you to make your beverage the way you want it has become an a selling point simply because of the variety available.  

Everything about a typical Starbucks coffee store speaks of brand promotion and positioning right from store location, seating areas, counter set up, coffee mugs to staff dress. This essentially translates into promotion of the brand even while people walk away from the store and subconsciously passes on the message that one must go out and get Starbucks coffee irrespective of one’s geographical location, nationality, age or race.  To crown it all, the staff of Starbucks Coffee stores are trained baristas (one who has acquired some expertise in preparation of espresso based coffee drinks) which ensures professionalism and gives the customer satisfaction that they are spending their dollars for  real value.  

I come from Uganda, East Africa where the notion of drinking carefully brewed coffee has not caught on fully. The coffee houses here primarily target urbanites mainly in the capital (Kampala) who for the most part include a host of expatriates and tourists. There are only about four individual coffee stores (with no chain stores) that expressly brand and export their coffee – “A 1000 cups”, “Café Pap”, “Ban Café” and “Rwenzori coffee house”. As a result, it is hard to pick up on and appreciate a particular brand of coffee blend

I did say it was incomplete... sorry

now, for a more complete post.. go here.... thank you.