Advertising

Author

Institution

Introduction

Advertising or marketing is arguably one of the most rewarding and crucial aspects of any business. It goes without saying that it has a bearing on the profitability and success of the business as it opens up new markets while safeguarding the existing ones. Like other aspects of the business world, advertising has undergone tremendous changes in the recent times. This is mainly because of advancement in science and technology, which has taken varied fields to an entire new world. It is worth noting that technology has been incorporated in almost every conceivable field including people’s homes. This has, therefore, triggered a consequential change in other fields. Technology has allowed advertisers to have the capacity to reach markets that businesses would never have reached in a long time. In essence, businesses have incorporated online advertising, also known as digital advertising in an effort to expand their market reach. Digital advertising refers to a promotion method that involves the use of World Wide Web and the Internet so as to deliver marketing messages in an effort to attract customers. Digital advertising has become a successful marketing strategy thanks to its responsiveness, versatility, as well as the capability for building brand awareness, engagement, and driving purchase behavior and response. It is, therefore, no surprise that 15% of the ad budgets in the world are spent in digital advertising.

While quite a large number of businesses have adopted digital advertising, none has done it better than Starbucks. It is worth noting that Starbucks was pioneer consumer brand to attain ten million fans in its Facebook page. Starbucks has become the leading social marketer in the world after being ranked number one in online engagement on Facebook, as well as the number one Tweeted brand. The company has done this through incorporating creative opportunities, which have not only empowered its fans but also helped the global community. One key thing that Starbuck pays attention to in its digital advertising is the content incorporated in the conversations. As much as many people would think that all one would need is a conversation, it is always crucial to back it up with meaningful, tailored and fun content to complete the fun experience. This is something on which Starbucks has invested heavily. There are three things that Starbucks has done to maintain its position as a leading digital marketer.

The first lesson comes from its Digital Scavenger hunt. Its SRCH was essentially a scavenger hunt that partnered with Lady Gaga. The game started with Cryptic QR code with the players being led through various digital and cerebral cues. Players would visit blogs, as well as Starbucks digital properties so as to decode the messages that involved logic, math, pop culture and reading. The main idea behind the scavenger hunt was allowing for interaction and fun even as it engaged in marketing.

In addition, Starbucks has made accelerated reader look easy and uncomplicated. It launched its first key augmented, reality application known as Cup Magic. The free application, which is used in Android and iPhone devices, operates by the user pointing his or her phone’s camera to certain Starbucks coffee cups, as well as other additional objects such as coffee and tea bags. In doing so, the characters are animated on the screen, in which case the customers can interact with these characters. Individuals who activated all the holiday characters were incorporated in draw where they stood a chance of winning a prize. In addition, the application incorporated conventional, as well as social sharing capabilities. In essence, the customers not only had fun while using the applications but also stood chances of winning. This was one of the key reasons as to why droves of fans signed up to Starbucks Facebook fan page. It was essentially one of the ways of rewarding its customers but also served as a way of attracting new ones thereby expanding its reach.

In addition, Starbucks became enormous when it decided to use its 24 million-strong Facebook fans to assist in ushering the fall holiday season, as well as to announce the coming back of the widely accepted Pumpkin Spice Latte. Starbucks unveiled a beverage branded game and Pumpkin Spice Latte application on its Facebook fan page. In these games and applications, fans and customers would participate in varied point-based activities. This was all in an effort to try their luck in winning the prize of having latter flavor available in their locality first. Many people would acknowledge that this game of fun not only increased the number of fans for Starbucks Facebook page but also popularized its products, in which case the message would reach potential markets or customers in an expanded way.

Evidently, Starbucks has earned its place among giants as far as digital advertising. This, however, does not mean that it has done everything within its capacity to enhance its expansion to other markets using social media. It goes without saying that social networking sites have offered unprecedented opportunities for businesses to get the word out or advertise about themselves and the services they are offering. However, this may require businesses to have some knowledge on how to use digital advertising successfully.

First, it is imperative that the site incorporates a posting plan. This posting plan should incorporate the content that will be posted in the fan page. In addition, it is worth noting that simply having fun posts would not necessarily translate into a popular fan page. It is imperative that the posts from the company’s fan page are not only viewed by subscribers but everyone. This will enhance the exposure of the business since its not only its present followers who will be seeing its posts. However, it is imperative that the business presents itself as professional even as it aims at promoting its services. It is worth noting that the business cannot be limited to only one account. In essence, since the company may be having various accounts with different social sites, it is imperative that it incorporates an aggregator application. Such an application would allow the business to manage its different accounts in an enhanced manner. With such applications, individuals would not have to visit the websites with which the business has accounts. In this case, administrators of the company’s fan page would find it easier to post and manage the accounts than having them in separate applications. In fact, such applications would remind the administrator to post or make updates on certain fan page thereby enhancing the number of followers. However, this should also be complemented with the incorporation of fun content, as well as interactive games from which the customers and followers would win various prices.