Starbucks
Surpasses 10 Million Fans, Closing In On Lady Gaga
by Mark Walsh,
A year ago,
Starbucks knocked off Coca-Cola as the most popular corporate brand on
Facebook, with its page on the social network drawing 3.7 million fans. Now the
coffee giant has become the first brand to clear the 10 million-fan mark on
Facebook, with its nearest rivals -- Coke and Skittles -- both trailing behind
at about 6.5 million.
To put Starbucks'
social ascent in perspective, the company is close to catching up to pop icon
Lady Gaga in Facebook fans. She's just ahead in the rankings, with about 10.4
million, according to data compiled by the Inside Facebook blog. Only other
celebrities (Michael Jackson, Vin Diesel), games ("Texas Hold'em
Poker," "Mafia Wars"), "Family Guy," Facebook, and the
President himself, stand ahead of Starbucks in the number of Facebook fans.
So what's the
secret of the coffee chain's success on the site? Making social media a key
part of its marketing mix, a steady stream of promotions, and advertising
heavily on Facebook to drive traffic to its page, according to social media
marketing experts. "Starbucks has provided Facebook users a reason to become
a fan," said Michael Lazerow, CEO of Buddy Media, which oversees brands'
social media efforts.
Indeed, special
offers, coupons and discounts distributed via Facebook seem to be at the heart
of Starbucks' magnetic appeal on the social network. Last July, it added
200,000 fans in one week through its Free Pastry Day promo, allowing fans to
print out coupons for complimentary confections with a beverage purchase.
Last year, it also
promoted its launch of branded ice cream by offering coupons for free pints
through its Facebook application. More recently, it used Facebook to run a
"Taste Challenge" tied to the rollout of its
Starbucks' success
with emphasizing product promotions on Facebook seems to validate the results
of a Razorfish study last year that found that traditional direct marketing
techniques like offering discounts and deals are the keys to building
engagement on social networking sites rather counting on some deeper connection
to a brand.
Reggie Bradford,
CEO of social media management firm ViTrue, noted that Starbucks has the
advantage of owning all of its stores, making it easier to run uniform
marketing programs that can be tied into Facebook. "Where if you have a
franchise model, you can't do that," he said.
But he and Lazerow
also say Starbucks has been active in the conversational aspect of social
marketing through posts on their Wall and into fans' news feeds, whether
content, questions or updates aimed at stimulating discussion around the brand.
On top of that, the company has invested in advertising in Engagement Ads on
the home page and elsewhere on Facebook to drive traffic to its page.
"Starbucks
got started early, and over the last couple of years has actively used Facebook
events, discussions, and notes in conjunction with well-coordinated ad
campaigns to drive traffic both to physical stores and online promotions,"
said Justin Smith, editor of Inside Facebook. He added that just over a year
ago, the company had only 1.7 million fans.
Its activity on
Facebook is also part of a broader commitment to social media by Starbucks that
includes its MyStarbucksIdea site for soliciting and implementing customer
suggestions, and push onto popular social location properties like Foursquare
and Brightkite. "For the last several years, Starbucks has embraced social
media as a core of its strategy," said
But other
retailers don't seem to be following the company's example. According to a study
earlier this year by Foresee Results, only a quarter of the top 100 online
retailers by sales volume had a formal Facebook presence.
For
more information visit www.mediapost.com
