白领商务英语－经典案例13：Starbucks

13 Product and pricing decisions ON THE JOB: FACING A BUSINESS CHALLENGE AT STARBUCKS Brewing² Up Success Nationwide Have you had your coffee yet today? If so, did you open a can of Folgers and brew¹ it yourself, or did you hand $2 to a barista and ask for a "single tall skinny mocha no whip with extra cocoa"? More and more coffee drinkers are getting their daily dose of java from Starbucks Coffee Company. Founded in 1971, Starbucks originally sold its trademark⁴ dark-roasted coffee beans in a few Seattle stores. But everything changed when current chairman and CEO Howard Schultz took over in 1987. Schultz en­visioned selling gourmet⁵ coffee beverages⁷ in hip³ neigh­borhood coffee bars like the ones he saw on every corner while vacationing in Italy. He wanted Starbucks to be a meeting place where people could exchange ideas and es­cape from everyday hassles. And from day one he wanted to go national. Schultz focused on building a competitive advantage through a loyal, well-trained labor⁸ force that deliv­ers consistently superior products and service. He also fostered a company commitment to employer responsi­bility, environmental stewardship⁹, passion for coffee, and integrity in customer relations. His efforts paid off. In a decade, Starbucks grew to over 1,100 stores in 22 states and 3 foreign countries. In the United States, Starbucks literally¹⁰ changed the defi1ition of "a good cup of coffee." Loyal customers are described as "religious" about the product. In fact, Starbucks is so highly regarded that the company is leveraging¹¹ its reputation with brand exten­sions. Bottled coffee beverages, ice cream, music CDs, and a coffee-laced beer now bear the Starbucks logo and are available on grocery store shelves. In addition, the company receives hundreds of joint¹² venture proposals for new products every week. But even though the success of Schultz's vision has led to unprecedented¹³ opportunities, it has also created new challenges. Rapid expansion has led some consumers to view Starbucks as a corporate¹⁴ villain¹⁵ that rides into town, throws down a lump of cash to get the best locations, and then drives the local cafes out of business. Locals fear that a Starbucks on the corner means the loss of a community's unique character. Brand extensions also raise new concerns; Although initial products have proven successful, they run the risk of diluting¹⁶ Starbucks' core identity as a premium¹⁷ coffee company. The company also faces the challenge of keeping quality consistent as the company continues to grow. Starbucks sets customers’ expectations high, and it must continue to meet those expectations to stay ahead of new competitors that enter the market almost daily. These concerns weighed heavily on the minds of Schultz's marketing¹⁸ team as Starbucks celebrated¹⁹ its twenty-fifth birthday. Team members were developing a new marketing strategy that they hoped would establish Starbucks' image and assure its future success nationwide. If you were on that team, what would you do to maintain Starbucks' leadership position? How would you evaluate the potential of new products? How would you define your target markets? What image would you want consumers to have of Starbucks, and how would you maintain that image as the company continues to grow? On the Job: Meeting Business Challenges at Starbucks Starbucks entered its twenty-sixth year as the uncontested leader of the gourmet coffee market. The company had already expe­rienced incredible growth, with sales approaching $700 million in 1996, and Schultz had plans to continue expanding, opening almost 900 new stores over the next several years. But the com­ing years would undoubtedly²⁰ prove challenging. Competitors like The Second Cup, Seattle's Best Coffee, and Barnie's had ex­pansion plans of their own. And many companies imitated Schultz's formula for success with the hope of beating Starbucks at its own game. The Starbucks marketing team had to be savvy²¹ to stay on top. The team began by extensively researching both com­petitors' and Starbucks' stores. They brought in hidden cameras to document how well the employees knew their coffee, and they asked customers how they felt about the products, atmosphere, service, and coffee. The insights they gained became the foun­dation of their strategy. As with all good marketing strategies, the heart of the plan was a vision of how they wanted to position Starbucks in the coffee market. In addition to remaining the quality leader, they wanted Starbucks stores to appear more like local cafes than a national chain and more like a sanctuary²² from daily stresses than just a take-out coffee store. Other goals included boosting stagnant²³ sales in older stores, establishing a central fo­cus for all Starbucks products, and developing national adver­tising that would convey a consistent image. Achieving these objectives required making changes in products, distribution, and promotion²⁴.' Over the years, Starbucks core products, coffee beans and beverages, had already undergone changes to meet cus­tomer preferences. But some merchandise, such as mugs and coffee makers²⁵, had been left untouched. Now new merchan­dise was planned for all stores. In addition, new food items were offered to attract customers throughout the day (because half the day's sales were typically made during the morning hours). New products were targeted for grocery store distribution, including cold coffee drinks and ice cream novelties. How­ever, the company was adamant²⁶ about maintaining its identity through strict product standards. If a product wasn't fun­damentally related to coffee and to Starbucks' core values, it wouldn't carry the Starbucks logo. The retail²⁷ distribution strategy had to address additional challenges. To combat the fears of certain communities about losing their uniqueness, Starbucks began designing new stores to reflect local cultures. For example, a store in Seattle's upscale Queen Anne neighborhood has a fireplace and large chairs that invite customers to linger and relax. The company also began redesigning older stores (where sales had begun to level off) in order to give them a more comfortable feel. To expand its mar­ket, Starbucks rolled out a nationwide line of specialty²⁸ coffees to be sold exclusively in supermarkets. The company packaged the supermarket coffee uniquely but priced this new line of coffees to match prices at company stores, keeping the brand image high while discouraging cafe customers from purchasing Starbucks at the supermarket. Even though product and distribution changes were important, a well-designed promotion strategy was the key to building a consistent image nationwide. Starbucks had always taken an undifferentiated approach to marketing. If a person was a coffee lover, that person was a potential Starbucks customer. And research shows that coffee lovers have an emotional tie to the beverage⁶. It can even be a part of their self-identity. To capitalize on this, the marketing team focused on building a national campaign that didn't feel national. They wanted customers to build a personal identification with Starbucks products. So the advertisements they developed were down-to-earth and genuine, depicting²⁹ Starbucks as a place to find peace in a hectic³⁰ world. To counter arguments that the company is too pristine³¹, Starbucks used ads that were somewhat unpolished, as though an art student had done them. In addition, the com­pany began to experiment with "digital marketing" through a hip Web site that attempts to re-create the coffeehouse culture on the Internet. Finally, to ensure high standards of quality and maintain what Schultz believes is Starbucks' biggest point of differentiation³², the company reaffirmed its commitment to its employees. All Starbucks employees receive extensive training before they set foot behind a counter. They also receive progressive com­pensation, including full health benefits and stock options, even for part-time employees. As Schultz says, "The only way we're going to be successful is if we have the people who are attracted to the company and who are willing to sustain the growth as owners." Only time will tell what the gourmet coffee market will I be like when Starbucks turns 50. But by continuing to offer' the best-quality coffee products in a comfortable environment, I and by supporting the brand through innovative³³ promotion, I Howard Schultz expects Starbucks to remain on top of the bean hill.

1 brew   

v.酿造，调制

参考例句：

• Let's brew up some more tea.咱们沏些茶吧。
• The policeman dispelled the crowd lest they should brew trouble.警察驱散人群，因恐他们酿祸。

2 brewing   

n. 酿造, 一次酿造的量 动词brew的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• It was obvious that a big storm was brewing up. 很显然，一场暴风雨正在酝酿中。
• She set about brewing some herb tea. 她动手泡一些药茶。

3 hip   

n.臀部，髋；屋脊

参考例句：

• The thigh bone is connected to the hip bone.股骨连着髋骨。
• The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line.新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。

4 trademark   

n.商标；特征；vt.注册的…商标

参考例句：

• The trademark is registered on the book of the Patent Office.该商标已在专利局登记注册。
• The trademark of the pen was changed.这钢笔的商标改了。

5 gourmet   

n.食物品尝家；adj.出于美食家之手的

参考例句：

• What does a gourmet writer do? 美食评论家做什么？
• A gourmet like him always eats in expensive restaurants.像他这样的美食家总是到豪华的餐馆用餐。

6 beverage   

n.(水，酒等之外的)饮料

参考例句：

• The beverage is often colored with caramel.这种饮料常用焦糖染色。
• Beer is a beverage of the remotest time.啤酒是一种最古老的饮料。

7 beverages   

n.饮料( beverage的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• laws governing the sale of alcoholic beverages 控制酒类销售的法规
• regulations governing the sale of alcoholic beverages 含酒精饮料的销售管理条例

8 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

9 stewardship   

n. n. 管理工作；管事人的职位及职责

参考例句：

• The organization certainly prospered under his stewardship. 不可否认，这个组织在他的管理下兴旺了起来。
• Last, but certainly not least, are the issues of stewardship and ethics. 最后，但当然不是微不足道的，是工作和道德规范的问题。

10 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

11 leveraging   

促使…改变( leverage的现在分词 )； [美国英语]杠杆式投机，（使）举债经营，（使）利用贷款进行投机

参考例句：

• De-leveraging is a painful process: it has barely begun. 去杠杆化是个痛苦的过程：它才刚刚开始。
• Archimedes said, saying: Give me a fulcrum, I can leveraging the Earth. 阿基米德说过一句话：给我一个支点，我可以撬动地球。

12 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

13 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

14 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

15 villain   

n.反派演员，反面人物；恶棍；问题的起因

参考例句：

• He was cast as the villain in the play.他在戏里扮演反面角色。
• The man who played the villain acted very well.扮演恶棍的那个男演员演得很好。

16 diluting   

稀释，冲淡( dilute的现在分词 )； 削弱，使降低效果

参考例句：

• A companion would have been a distraction, diluting the pathos of the moment. 要是有一个伴侣在旁就会分散我的注意，冲淡此时此刻的哀婉之情。
• Diluting agent has certain transparency for ink multi-color overprint. 冲淡剂具有必定的透明量，适分油不朱的众色叠印。

17 premium   

n.加付款；赠品；adj.高级的；售价高的

参考例句：

• You have to pay a premium for express delivery.寄快递你得付额外费用。
• Fresh water was at a premium after the reservoir was contaminated.在水库被污染之后，清水便因稀而贵了。

18 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

19 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

20 undoubtedly   

adv.确实地，无疑地

参考例句：

• It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
• He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。

21 savvy   

v.知道，了解；n.理解能力，机智，悟性；adj.有见识的，懂实际知识的，通情达理的

参考例句：

• She was a pretty savvy woman.她是个见过世面的漂亮女人。
• Where's your savvy?你的常识到哪里去了？

22 sanctuary   

n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区

参考例句：

• There was a sanctuary of political refugees behind the hospital.医院后面有一个政治难民的避难所。
• Most countries refuse to give sanctuary to people who hijack aeroplanes.大多数国家拒绝对劫机者提供庇护。

23 stagnant   

adj.不流动的，停滞的，不景气的

参考例句：

• Due to low investment,industrial output has remained stagnant.由于投资少，工业生产一直停滞不前。
• Their national economy is stagnant.他们的国家经济停滞不前。

24 promotion   

n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传

参考例句：

• The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
• The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级，加了薪。

25 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

26 adamant   

adj.坚硬的，固执的

参考例句：

• We are adamant on the building of a well-off society.在建设小康社会这一点上，我们是坚定不移的。
• Veronica was quite adamant that they should stay on.维罗妮卡坚信他们必须继续留下去。

27 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

28 specialty   

n.(speciality)特性，特质；专业，专长

参考例句：

• Shell carvings are a specialty of the town.贝雕是该城的特产。
• His specialty is English literature.他的专业是英国文学。

29 depicting   

描绘，描画( depict的现在分词 )； 描述

参考例句：

• a painting depicting the Virgin and Child 一幅描绘童贞马利亚和圣子耶稣的画
• The movie depicting the battles and bloodshed is bound to strike home. 这部描写战斗和流血牺牲的影片一定会取得预期效果。

30 hectic   

adj.肺病的；消耗热的；发热的；闹哄哄的

参考例句：

• I spent a very hectic Sunday.我度过了一个忙乱的星期天。
• The two days we spent there were enjoyable but hectic.我们在那里度过的两天愉快但闹哄哄的。

31 pristine   

adj.原来的，古时的，原始的，纯净的，无垢的

参考例句：

• He wiped his fingers on his pristine handkerchief.他用他那块洁净的手帕擦手指。
• He wasn't about to blemish that pristine record.他本不想去玷污那清白的过去。

32 differentiation   

n.区别，区分

参考例句：

• There can be no differentiation without contrast. 有比较才有差别。
• The operation that is the inverse of differentiation is called integration. 与微分相反的运算叫做积分。

33 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。