Starbucks: Evolution of a Global Brand

Starbucks' top management considered the quality of coffee products to be critical to the brand's strength. By controlling as much of the value chain as possible - from buying the raw beans to the roasting process to selling specialty coffee in company-owned stores - Starbucks attempted to ensure high quality standards for its offerings in a young market...

In a recent survey of the top global brands, conducted by Business Week and Interbrand, Starbucks had ranked 93 . Schultz felt that the equity of the Starbucks brand depended less on advertising and promotion and more on word of mouth...

As Starbucks grew bigger, Schultz set about identifying and correcting organizational weaknesses. He felt that Starbucks must pay more attention to the people who made, served and bought coffee. Baristas and other employees who directly affected the quality of products and the consumer experience in stores, exerted tremendous influence on the company's performance...

Schultz's stated objective was to build a company with a soul. Starbucks was the largest corporate contributor in North America to CARE, a worldwide relief and development organization that sponsored health, education, and humanitarian aid programs in most of the Third World countries where Starbucks purchased its coffee supplies...