I chose to respond to Albina Gibadullina’s blog-post as she addresses Starbucks’ need for a ‘point of difference,’ (a concept that intrigues me greatly), in order to succeed in the Indian market.
Albina explains that there are various coffee alternatives in India for cheaper, and therefore in order for Starbucks to prosper in this venture, it would have to establish a solid point of difference that would attract customers to their products over others’.
A major issue is that most of the Indian population isn’t familiar with the brand, and therefore Starbucks needs to emotionally attract its customers through implanting a memorable brand/vision into the consumers’ brains.
This directly relates back to the ‘point of difference’ idea; Starbucks basically needs to differentiate itself from other brands in order to entice consumers and have their brand stick. The company could do this through specialized add campaigns unique to their products, and advertise just why they’re different, and in turn better. The company could employ the use of effective slogans, and publicly illustrate their unique values (e.g. fair trade coffee). The company could spend money on marketing their ethical behavior in the hopes of appealing to a moral consumer base.
