Starbucks Meets Twitter

 By Lindsey M. Musch

After doing some searching online I came across an article that was written by Claire Cain Miller at the New York Times entitled “New Starbucks Ads Seek to Recruit Online Fans”.  This article discussed how Starbucks has used social media such as Twitter to get their presence out there and interact with its clientele. 

            Starbucks uses Twitter to converse with its clients about promotions, coupons, events and just coffee in general.  In the article Starbucks was using Twitter to run an ad campaign, Miller stated,

“The coffeehouse chain is putting up new advertising posters in six major cities. To further spread its message, it is trying to harness the power of online social networking sites by challenging people to hunt for the posters on Tuesday and be the first to post a photo of one using Twitter. ”

            The objective of the Starbucks Twitter presence is to be down to earth with is audience and to try to relate to the newer generations that there is more to Starbucks, from its in-depth knowledge of coffee to the entertainment it provides in at its locations.            

The Twitter presence seems to relate to followers by really interacting with its followers.  If you read on their Twitter page they are constantly answering questions, asking questions, and sharing announcements about the company.  According to the New York Times article Starbucks had a Twitter following of 183,000 and as of today’s date you can see by looking at Twitter their following has increased greatly to over 1.2 million followers.  This goes to show that even in a down economy consumers still value the great quality of Starbucks.

Overall, Starbucks is a great example of an active company that uses social media such as Twitter to maintain a presence with its consumer base.  They continue to update and be interactive enough to continue a following as large as they have when the bottom line is they do not have the cheapest coffee in town; however it is deemed the best for many reasons.  If Starbucks continues their presence with social media they will continue to be successful no matter the economy.