01 Summary
Presented as a non-commercial project, the Starbucks ice cream proposal enables a new design for a new product within the Starbucks company. This plan focuses on branching outside the traditions of Starbucks beverages while also infusing the traditional origins of common beverages sold currently. In this marketing proposal, research, strategies, and SWOT analysis are incorporated, as well as the development & design of the project. Advertisement mock-ups are also included as visual presentations.
The Goal
To propose an expansion of Starbucks Coffee by using marketing strategies
to create and promote the new addition of Starbucks ice cream.
02 The History
With the origin of a singular café, Starbucks' new way of coffee brought a cultural change to the world. Now with over 30,000 locations, Starbucks is a commercial success, with growing benefits and products from the start. The original logo can be seen from the far left when the company initially opened in 1971. This logo is incorporated in specific designs below based on the longevity of the coffee that the ice cream has adapted from. While the present-day design is presented on the newer ice cream flavors (ex. the unicorn ice cream) to represent the newer or short-lived products within the company.
The current CEO once decided to bring newness to the company’s practices, that is, to intermix the traditions of coffee with other means to expand the company. And that is the same idea I have in this proposal for the Starbucks Ice cream development:
To bring change with the current and develop a new contemporary blend in which the company can expand outside of their now traditional coffee trademark.
New beverages and products, old beverages and products, seasonal and long-lived, all of which can become a new flavor of ice cream.
The reason for Starbucks Ice-cream:
The desires for desserts are equivalent to coffee.
As the world's best coffee-selling company, a new addition to the menu will create a perfect marketing platform to experiment, promote and sell a product. Promising a new product that invites both familiarity and newness to an already established company will drive interest and sales, enabling Starbucks to further develop its commercial success through a new branch of products.
Coffee-branded ice cream from Starbucks will be a new edition, enabling further dynamics, establishing a new face for the company, and continuing its traditional recipes for coffee that consumers know and love dearly.
03 S.W.O.T Analysis
04 Implementation
Quality Not Quantity
The quality of the product should be the first consideration of product development, within the beginning stages of product development. There are dozens of ice cream brands within the current market and the attempts to rush a product out into an already highly populated market will create a short and failed campaign. Rather than focusing on how many, other factors should be considered before presenting a considerable amount to the public.
What separates Starbucks Coffee apart from other coffee companies is the high-end coffee beans that they provide in each beverage they make. When creating the recipe for the different ice creams, it is important to incorporate the same high-quality products that the beverages have. Although it can provide steep costs and production in producing an item that is so high-end. Fortunately, due to the origins of the company, and it is high-end café products, the solution is in the ready-made ingredients. The company can incorporate similar ingredients into their ice creams much like their beverages, especially if the ice cream was initiated from a parent drink. For instance, the vanilla latte is crafted with Starbucks vanilla syrup, frothed milk, and espresso. To replicate this, the ice cream can consist of the traditional Starbucks vanilla syrup, almond milk, and espresso flavoring or powder (aside from the other ingredients needed to make the ice cream itself).
The Flavors
It must be considered that not only do the ingredients matter in the making of the ice cream, but also the taste of it as well. Starbucks manages to master this with their coffee every time. The taste of the vanilla latte is one of a kind, with hints of other flavors that define itself as a signature beverage within the company as well as society. And much like the beverages in the company, we want the ice cream to have the same impact on consumers' tastes. Based upon the original drinks and their image within the company will help determine what the ice-creams flavors will be. For instance, based on observance and popular demand, it would seem logical to introduce a pumpkin spice Starbucks ice cream as it is a high-demand flavor. At the same time, repetition isn't desired either, and we don't want to bore or draw out the consumer with too much of an already-created product. Therefore a product that manages to keep some aspects of the drink with a few add-ons will provide the most intriguing ice cream. Or even a brand new flavor altogether may be suitable as well.
To set Starbucks ice creams apart from other ice cream brands, much like Starbucks drinks, the company must incorporate a new signature flavor for what Starbucks will perceive as its own. For instance, referring back to the vanilla latte ice cream, the traditional vanilla ice cream at Starbucks could incorporate a hint of nutmeg cinnamon, and cream. Thus this is contributing to the company's original beverage form and making it the:
Starbucks Vanilla Bean Latte Ice-cream
rather than,
Vanilla Ice-cream.
There are dozens of vanilla ice creams out on shelves, so providing something that is different than what is already offered on the market will provide a booster to the Starbucks ice creams being sold in stores. Not to mention the popularity and loyalty that the company receives upon their coffee from in-store purchases to in-house purchases. Providing something unique as Starbucks' own personal flavors of ice cream introduces a whole new quality of ice cream that is capable of being its own version that society can't get enough of.
05 Direct Sales Process
Initially, all proposals must have an ideal timeline. After studying the demand levels among each flavor, deciding which flavors to choose, and paying attention to societal behaviors, I created a brief example of what the promotion and sales process will look like. Below is a "Starbucks Timeline" mapping the start of the promotion process (introducing the first product) to the peak of added products later that year.
Note: I decided to start the timeline in August as I feel that fall is the best time of year for introducing seasonal products as well as an excellent time to promote a new product during the changing time of year. This is known as being the most vibrant time of the year. I wanted to provide this product now as I feel that the convenience of it will fit nicely into busy schedules. (Ex. Late nights from college students may lead them to stores to purchase study cravings. Or even expecting mothers to crave something sweet as "fall and winter are the highest conception months," according to UW medicine.)
One Final Note
I believe it's best to offer certain flavors during certain times. These flavors will be seasonal and they will initially be designed to analyze the success rates in society (i.e., during seasonal times or for limited times only). I also believe that offering limited amounts of a product provides attention and creates higher demand, allowing for higher sales and performance. Evidently, if marketed this way, the company manages to save money by only focusing on certain products at the same time, or determining if it is worth continuing, and society will show their true interest in something if it is rare.
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Sources
Farr, Sheila. “Starbucks: The Early Years.” Historylink.org, 15 Feb. 2017, www.historylink.org/File/20292.
International Dairy Foods Association. “Ice Cream Sales & Trends.” IDFA, 18 Mar. 2020, www.idfa.org/ice-cream-sales-trends.
Starbucks Company Timeline. https://globalassets.starbucks.com/assets/ba6185aa2f9440379ce0857d89de8412.pdf
Starbucks. "Howard Schultz." Starbucks Stories, 2022, https://stories.starbucks.com/leadership/howard-schultz/
Starbucks. “Starbucks Reports Record Q4 and Full Year Fiscal 2021 Results.” Investor.starbucks.com, 28 Oct. 2021, investor.starbucks.com/press-releases/financial-releases/press-release-details/2021/Starbucks-Reports-Record-Q4-and-Full-Year-Fiscal-2021-Results/default.aspx.
“What’s Trending with America’s Favorite Dessert.” Your Site NAME Goes HERE, nfraweb.org/whats-trending-with-Americas-favorite-desserts/#:~:text=It. Accessed 13 Oct. 2022.