Starbucks. I swear I am not making it up, a young man who still works in a store as a barista was in tears as he spoke about how proud he was to be a part of Starbucks's organisation. In tears, and it was not just me that noticed – the 400-odd executives in the room did too and were clearly moved by the young man's story. And it was not as though the company had rescued him from the depths of despair. He just loved working there that much. But I digress – back to the point . . .
In regard to 'Superficial is Anything But', Schultz's memo makes clear that details like the smell of a Starbucks store can only have significance in the context of a total customer experience that is much bigger than using sensory stimulation to trigger emotional responses. In other words the customer experience goes beyond sensory stimulation or a jazzed up transactional environment, whether bricks and mortar or online. Buying and selling coffee in a way that helps indigenous coffee growers is as much a part of the Starbucks brand story as good coffee. Being able to inject 'romance and theatre' into the making of a cup of coffee satisfies much more than the customers' need for caffeine and a warm drink. It satisfies their desire to be taken to another place. The 'third place', as Starbucks call it. The customer's total ownership experience includes four things:
service
form
functionality
story.
Service is essentially how it feels to buy your product or service. It is about store design and layout, the behaviour of staff, the simplicity and ease of navigation on a website, and so on.
Form is how it feels to use your product or service. It is less about the performance capability of your product or service than it is about design, appearance and ergonomics.
Functionality is how it feels to own the product or service. It is about how well the product or service integrates into and supports the customer's daily life and lifestyle. It is about both quality and integration.
Story is how it feels for customers to say they own the product or use the service. It is the story customers tell themselves about why they bought your product or service and why they have an affinity with your brand. And it is the most powerful of the four elements of the total ownership experience.
Notice the use of the word 'feel' in the above descriptions. This is deliberate, considering it is emotions that drive our decisions, not our rational thought processes. As I said a few paragraphs ago,we tend to seize on relatively superficial things to justify our emotional imperatives.
Consider an experience I had with my wife. (I am not sure how she will respond when she learns I have included it in this book!) A few years ago we were shopping in Surfer's Paradise on the Gold Coast.We were on a street of boutiques for Gucci, Prada, Bally and other high-end fashion brands. In the Gucci shop,my wife Sharon admired a handbag that cost something near $1500. I could tell she really wanted it and I also thought it looked nice, as it should for the money.
But something about the bag bugged me. And no, it wasn't just the price tag. It looked strangely familiar. And then it hit me. I had recently seen the same bag in a street vendor's stall in Southeast Asia.
Wise spouses will know that I should have kept my mouth shut. But I couldn't help myself. I said, 'I saw the exact same bag last week in Malaysia at a fraction of the price. I will be there again next month and I will bring you one home.' (Interesting how a developed-world luxury item generates economic activity in the developing world, too, isn't it?)
'What? I don't want some bag from a street stall in Malaysia. That bag would be a fake!' Sharon said.
'Well, sure it would be, but a darned good one.' I could see the bag in the stall in Malaysia in my mind's eye as I held the genuine Gucci in the boutique in Surfer's Paradise. It was exactly the same bag. 'Nobody will ever be able to tell the difference.'
'Of course they
In regard to 'Superficial is Anything But', Schultz's memo makes clear that details like the smell of a Starbucks store can only have significance in the context of a total customer experience that is much bigger than using sensory stimulation to trigger emotional responses. In other words the customer experience goes beyond sensory stimulation or a jazzed up transactional environment, whether bricks and mortar or online. Buying and selling coffee in a way that helps indigenous coffee growers is as much a part of the Starbucks brand story as good coffee. Being able to inject 'romance and theatre' into the making of a cup of coffee satisfies much more than the customers' need for caffeine and a warm drink. It satisfies their desire to be taken to another place. The 'third place', as Starbucks call it. The customer's total ownership experience includes four things:
service
form
functionality
story.
Service is essentially how it feels to buy your product or service. It is about store design and layout, the behaviour of staff, the simplicity and ease of navigation on a website, and so on.
Form is how it feels to use your product or service. It is less about the performance capability of your product or service than it is about design, appearance and ergonomics.
Functionality is how it feels to own the product or service. It is about how well the product or service integrates into and supports the customer's daily life and lifestyle. It is about both quality and integration.
Story is how it feels for customers to say they own the product or use the service. It is the story customers tell themselves about why they bought your product or service and why they have an affinity with your brand. And it is the most powerful of the four elements of the total ownership experience.
Notice the use of the word 'feel' in the above descriptions. This is deliberate, considering it is emotions that drive our decisions, not our rational thought processes. As I said a few paragraphs ago,we tend to seize on relatively superficial things to justify our emotional imperatives.
Consider an experience I had with my wife. (I am not sure how she will respond when she learns I have included it in this book!) A few years ago we were shopping in Surfer's Paradise on the Gold Coast.We were on a street of boutiques for Gucci, Prada, Bally and other high-end fashion brands. In the Gucci shop,my wife Sharon admired a handbag that cost something near $1500. I could tell she really wanted it and I also thought it looked nice, as it should for the money.
But something about the bag bugged me. And no, it wasn't just the price tag. It looked strangely familiar. And then it hit me. I had recently seen the same bag in a street vendor's stall in Southeast Asia.
Wise spouses will know that I should have kept my mouth shut. But I couldn't help myself. I said, 'I saw the exact same bag last week in Malaysia at a fraction of the price. I will be there again next month and I will bring you one home.' (Interesting how a developed-world luxury item generates economic activity in the developing world, too, isn't it?)
'What? I don't want some bag from a street stall in Malaysia. That bag would be a fake!' Sharon said.
'Well, sure it would be, but a darned good one.' I could see the bag in the stall in Malaysia in my mind's eye as I held the genuine Gucci in the boutique in Surfer's Paradise. It was exactly the same bag. 'Nobody will ever be able to tell the difference.'
'Of course they
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