Starbucks Marketing Communications Plan

Executive Summary

We have investigated the possible launch of the Starbucks Coffee Company

in the Netherlands, where we tried to combine the Starbucks’ ‘way of doing’

with the local Dutch market. Our mission therefore is to successfully

introduce while paying attention to the Dutch needs and expectations.

The standardized Starbucks products will be used such as coffee, tea, and

merchandise, except for the pastries, where we strive to localize to better

integrate with the local market. The products will be premium priced,

according to the Starbucks strategy. As a result, Starbucks will be

established as a premium brand. The first store will be opened in Amsterdam

in a promising and popular area under the local community. After this we

want to expand in Amsterdam and other major cities in the Netherlands.

Although Starbucks will have to compete with several other coffee

companies, our research shows that Starbucks has a strong affection with

the potential customers, even though the competition scores better in some

aspects. Through our premium name, we want to secure this preferred

position.

The target market, and therefore the customers that will visit Starbucks

Amsterdam, fit the profile of traditional Starbucks customers in other cities.

The Netherlands are very diversified as are the Starbucks customers and

therefore we expect a quick acceptance in the Dutch market, even from

potential customers who still do not know Starbucks.

Starbucks should segment the market in the future through demographic and

behavioral segmentation, and apply differing strategies to appeal to each

segment.

The financial expectations are positive, Starbucks Amsterdam expects a

profit in its second year, and it should take around 4 years to pay off the

investments and losses which will be generated in the first year.

In terms of an advertising plan, the main initial goal is to gain awareness

throughout the primary and secondary target markets. This will be...