What's more social than Starbucks?

For many people, Starbucks is part of a daily routine. Between work and home, avid Starbucks drinkers stop in to the specialty coffee shop for their favorite morning beverages. Since 1981 when the coffee shop became an international brand, Starbucks has formed such a unique environment and social experience that customers have formed strong emotional attachments to the brand. However, Starbucks executives had to figure out a way to rekindle customers' emotional attachments following a period of decreased sales in 2008, at the same time as a great shift in social and technological advancements. In Chapter 4 of Branded!, Bernie Brennan and Lori Shafer provide an interesting case study of Starbucks' digital development.

Starbucks created a new website in hopes of giving customers a "voice and a place for conversation... in a way that's relevant and adds value to their experience" (p. 58). My Starbucks Idea became the brand's online community where customers can share original ideas about menu items and specialty drinks. They can also give feedback and suggestions regarding the stores' atmosphere and customer service programs. After comments and ideas are posted to My Starbucks Idea, other community members can vote on the ideas they like best. The most-liked ideas are actually considered by Starbucks executives, which truly gives customers the feeling that they have a voice and a say in their Starbucks experience. This site was launched several years ago, but the community is still active and relevant today.

Going social for Starbucks was all about hanging out with their customers online.  With the creation of this online community, Starbucks has branded their business not only as a unique coffee shop, but as an organization that cares about what their customers want, first and foremost. They took the unique social environment they created in their stores and moved it online, where customers were already spending their time.