Persuasion Observation: Starbucks

Persuasion Observation: Starbucks
After learning about the VALS in Chapter 10 of Persuasion and Influence in American Life, I wanted to see where I fit into the chart on p. 278. I found the website, took the survey and learned that I am an Experiencer/Innovator.
Armed with the knowledge that I am among the “avid consumers [who] spend a comparatively high proportion of their income on fashion, entertainment, and socializing…” and also “among the established and emerging leaders in business and government, yet they continue to seek challenges. Their lives are characterized by variety. Their possessions and recreation reflect a cultivated taste for the finer things in life…” It was no surprise to me that I chose Starbucks for my persuasion observation destination.
Keeping the dimensions of the VALS and theory of psychographics in mind, I observed that Starbucks’ attempt to persuade consumers is heavily influenced by those concepts. Starbucks has a brand identity that is worth millions, and that is not even the value of the company itself. This is due to the fact that Starbucks has infiltrated consumer life through branding and very strategic messaging.
In the store that I sat to observe this phenomenon, I counted over 200 logos just within my field of vision. As I applied the potential effects of this to myself (an Experiencer/Innovator) and others like me, I realized that I could not stand a chance to fight off the influence that these logos were going to have on me. Starbucks screams “trendy”, “hip”, “sophisticated”, “sustainable”, and “established”, just to name a few and for most consumers my age, those qualities are exactly what we are looking for. By creating trendy merchandise, such as sustainable cups, water bottles and gift cards that, when purchased, donates money to starving children in Africa, Starbucks is using it’s persuasion tools with surgical precision on a very specific target market. With such heavy precipitation of brand, logos, and marketing, persuasion, reinforcement and reminder (the distinct levels of persuasion) come easy to Starbucks. And it is this effective persuasion that has put the company at the very front of the pack in areas such as consumer loyalty hich is every company’s and advertiser’s dream.