The coffee giant’s new storytelling output shows the difficulties in expanding a business and keeping core customers happy
Last week, Starbucks entered the world of content marketing by unveiling a 10-episode series of stories, podcasts and video called Upstanders.
The episodes look at little-known stories from across America. For example, one features Susan Burton, a former prisoner who now devotes herself to helping other female ex-convicts get a fresh start after release. Another looks at John D’Eri, who set out looking for a job for his autistic son, before eventually opening a car wash where 85% of the employees are on the autism spectrum.
The move has prompted a fair amount of praise, in particular for the high quality of the output. Starbucks brought in serious journalistic heft for the project, recruiting former Washington Post senior editor Rajiv Chandrasekaran to be at the helm.
But there have also been rumblings of discontent. Some commenters have complained that Starbucks should stick to making coffee, and stay away from a kind of political discourse that raises issues such as prisoner rehabilitation and police officer training.
Steering clear of politics
Despite Starbucks CEO (and Upstanders co-producer) Howard Schultz’s well-publicised support for the Democratic Party and Hillary Clinton, the series has been repeatedly billed as focused on community, not politics.
Starbucks has stated its aim with Upstanders is to “inspire Americans to engage in acts of compassion, citizenship and civility” and the story selection has been carefully tailored to foster an ideal of improvement at a community level, not national.
To reinforce this focus, it has also organised various local Town Hall events around the launch – inviting local citizens and civic organisations to attend and help effect change in their local areas.
As content marketers, striving to reach a new audience is part of the brief. In its position as the world’s largest coffee company, Starbucks has plenty at stake with all of its business decisions. Speaking on a community level would appear to be a smart, relatable move.
Choosing the right blend
Starbucks’ decision to invest heavily in content marketing is in keeping with its bid to be seen as an ethical, globally-conscious enterprise. One of the advantages content marketing holds over traditional marketing or advertising is the sense that the company is adding artistic value to the world – in this case showcasing the stories of worthy, ordinary people by creating well-crafted audio, video and text.
Content marketing possesses a sense of assertive action, authorial voice and control that other forms of marketing lack.
And of course, to support it, Starbucks is still utilising traditional advertising to market the content itself – its stores are filled with signs directing people to read, stream or download Upstanders.
The three-pronged attack also shows the value of embracing different channels. Storytelling in 2016 involves not just the story itself, but also a multi-platform approach to suit the digital age. The written word provides the essence; video is a shareable, digestible accompaniment. And by utilising podcasts, Starbucks is capitalising on the audio zeitgeist, particularly present in America with long-form audio storytelling phenomenons such as This American Life, Radiolab and the all-conquering Serial.
Despite the scrutiny attached to being a multi-billion dollar conglomerate entering into a new field, Starbucks has narrowed its focus to celebrate the individual, and the difference each person can make to their immediate community.
It has also recognised that the best way to approach content marketing is with a strong editorial voice, and by embracing a multi-platform approach.
Content marketing enjoys a more favourable public opinion than traditional marketing or advertising. With the Starbucks Upstanders series, the company is casting a light on the goodness of people, and as a consequence aiming to promote a more caring vision of the enterprise.
Whether or not their coffee is to your tastes, there is sound judgment behind their new blend of content marketing.
