指导英国essay:Study on brand strategy of Apple and Starbucks

1.0 Introduction引言

品牌是人们对公司及其产品、售后服务和文化价值的一种长期评价和认知。成功的品牌战略已成为现代企业成功的关键因素之一（Truong、Klink、Simmons、Grinstein和Palmer，2016）。同时，品牌战略的实施也对社会和消费者行为产生了一定的影响。本研究以苹果和星巴克为研究对象，从品牌意识、消费文化、消费行为等角度，研究了这两家公司的品牌战略，以及品牌战略对社会和消费者行为的影响。

Brand is a kind of long-term evaluation and cognition from people on a company and its products, after-sale service and cultural value. Successful brand strategy has become one of the key factors of success of a modern enterprise (Truong, Klink, Simmons, Grinstein and Palmer, 2016). Meanwhile, the implementation of brand strategy also has a certain influence on a society and consumer behavior. In this study, it takes Apple and Starbucks as the research objects, from the perspectives of brand awareness, consumption culture, consumption behavior to study the two company's brand strategies, as well as the impact of the brand strategies on a society and consumer behavior.

2.0 Literature review文献综述

2.1 Brand awareness品牌意识

品牌意识是企业品牌和品牌建设的基本概念，是企业品牌价值观、品牌资产观、品牌竞争观、品牌发展观、品牌战略观和品牌建设观的综合反映（Truong、Klink、Simmons、Grinstein和Palmer，2016）。

在现代经济中，品牌是战略资产，是核心竞争力的重要来源，品牌意识为企业制定正确的品牌战略提供了坚实的理性基础，成为企业在现代竞争经济中赢得胜利的战略意识（Truong、齿轮儿、西蒙斯、Grinstein和帕尔默，2016）。品牌意识包括以下三个方面。

Brand awareness refers to an enterprise’s basic concept for its brand and brand building, it is the comprehensive reflection of corporate brand values, brand equity viewpoint, brand competition concept, brand development concept, brand strategy concept and brand building view (Truong, Klink, Simmons, Grinstein and Palmer, 2016).

一是树立品牌意识，即企业对品牌效用和价值的认知和认可，以及品牌使用的重要性。企业通过在经营活动中积极创造和使用品牌，使企业的品牌形象或标志得到消费者的认可（Hjelmgren，2016）。二是品牌保护意识，品牌保护意识是指企业对品牌保护的重要认识和认识。品牌创造是发挥品牌效用作用的基础，但更需要有效地保护品牌，为品牌提供保护，发挥品牌效用作用。如果产品质量不好，企业信誉不好，或者品牌被他人任意模仿，很难树立品牌声誉（Hjelmgren，2016）。最后是品牌发展意识，品牌发展意识是指企业不断丰富和创新品牌文化，不断提升品牌的市场形象和品牌竞争力，充分发挥品牌的内在价值（Truong、Klink、Simmons、Grinstein和Palmer，2016）。In modern economy, brand is a strategic asset and an important source of core competitiveness, brand awareness provides a solid rational foundation for enterprises to develop a right brand strategy, it becomes a strategic awareness to lead enterprises to win in modern competitive economy (Truong, Klink, Simmons, Grinstein and Palmer, 2016). Brand awareness includes the following three aspects.

First is to establish brand awareness, which is corporate cognition and recognition towards brand utility and value, as well as importance of using brand. An enterprise is through active creation  and use of brand in business activities to make the brand representation or symbol of the enterprise, so that it is recognized by consumers (Hjelmgren, 2016). Second is awareness of brand protection, brand protection awareness refers to corporate cognition and understanding of the important significance of protection of brand. Creation of a brand is the basis to play the role of brand utility, but it more need to protect the brand effectively to provide protection for brand to play the role of brand utility. If a product has poor quality, the enterprise has low credibility, or the brand is imitated arbitrarily by others, it is difficult to establish brand reputation (Hjelmgren, 2016). Finally, it is brand development awareness, brand development awareness means that an enterprise constantly enriches and innovates its brand culture to continuously improve the market image and brand competitiveness of the brand to give full play to the intrinsic value of the brand (Truong, Klink, Simmons, Grinstein and Palmer, 2016).

2.2 Consumption culture

Consumption culture refers to the sum of the concept of consumption, consumption patterns, consumer behavior and consumer environment demonstrated by people in material production and spiritual production, social life and consumer activity of a certain historical period (Montgomerie and Roscoe, 2013). Development of the concept of consumption culture in general includes three stages. Due to the low level of development of social productive forces before the 19th century, there was not too much material means of production produced in the community, so during this period of time, people paid attention to the use value of materials. At the end of 19th century and beginning of 20th century, after the baptism of the capitalist industrial revolution, the level of development of social productivity in western countries has been greatly improved, which greatly enriched the type and quantity of goods, development of modern capitalist economy taking the United States as the center has greatly led consumption of a variety of luxury goods, so that the consumer society taking hedonistic concept as the core began to form. During this period, people paid attention to exchange value and conspicuous consumption. After the 1960s, personalization and rational choice became the theme of consumption, consumers were no longer scrambling to pursue conspicuous consumption, they more choose those which could show their personality and reflect their own status, the post-modern consumer society taking symbolization and representation as the main manifestation has come into being (Montgomerie and Roscoe, 2013).

2.3 Consumption behavior

Consumption behavior refers to all mental, psychological, physical activities exhibited by consumers in finding, buying, using and evaluating goods and services for meeting what they need. Consumers are both affected by their internal needs, and impacted by external environmental stimuli. Research on consumer buying behavior provides the foundation for enterprises to develop a correct marketing strategy (Galmarini, Symoneaux, Chollet and Zamora, 2013). The key to research on consumer purchasing behavior is to understand a consumer’s decision-making on the following series of questions. First is who is involved in purchase activities (Who). Second is what products they buy (What). Third is why they buy (why). Fourth is when at they buy (When). Fifth is where they purchase (Where). Sixth is how much they purchase (How much). Seventh is how they will buy (How) (Galmarini, Symoneaux, Chollet and Zamora, 2013).

2.4 Conspicuous consumption

In addition to representing high-quality goods and services, some excellent brands also reflect corresponding cultural connotation and the social classes they belong to. Consumers are through the consumption of these brands to show off their money, financial and social status to other people, as well as their glory, prestige and reputation brought by the status obtained, this is the so-called conspicuous consumption (Truong et al., 2016). Consumers’ conspicuous awareness is actually affected by the consumption concept, lifestyle, fashion and other factors of a modern society. It is worth noting that the connotation of conspicuous consumption in the current society is very different from the connotation in the past, what people show off are not only their own wealth and status, but also  personal spirit, personality, culture and so on.

3.0 Apple and Starbucks

3.1 Introduction of Apple 

Apple Inc. is an American high-tech company. From 2012 to 2014, Apple has been the company in the world with the most market value for three consecutive years. In 2014, Apple went beyond Google and became the most valuable brand in the world. Its products include: iPhone, iPad, PC and so on (Lazonick, Mazzucato and Tulum, 2013). 

Apple products have their own distinct personality, powerful functions and good appearance, its brand image is cool, stylish, sexy, elegant, possession of Apple products is what consumers pursue, which also become what their brag. Just because it has a brand with the personality that consumers appreciate, making it be accepted by consumers and the are willing to buy it. Every time when Apple releases new products, consumers are waiting in lines to buy Apple products, showing the brand value of the products. Thus, Apple's brand personality is the core of its brand value, Apple create a distinctive brand personality, which is one of the keys to its success (Lazonick, Mazzucato and Tulum, 2013).

3.2 Introduction of Starbucks

Starbucks is a leading coffee chain established in 1971, it is headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks develops and forms a unique, long-lasting, high value-added brand, which is inseparable from its "experience culture" and its unique marketing tools that it has insisted at the beginning of entrepreneurship (Hossain and Islam, 2015). Starbucks products is not only coffee, coffee is just a carrier. And it is through this carrier: coffee, the individual, elegant life style and attitudes of Starbucks is transferred to customers. Consumption of Starbucks coffee is largely an emotional consumption of a cultural level, in a "Starbucks" coffee shop, the emphasis is no longer just coffee, but experience, culture and knowledge, environmental culture created by Starbuck can infect customers and form a good interactive experience with consumers (Hossain and Islam, 2015).#p#分页标题#e#

3.4 Comparison

The common of the success of Apple and Starbucks is that they are succeed in shaping the brands to be a brand image which can be used to show off, the reason for why consumers buy Apple products lies in that Apple products can make them more fashionable, perfect and idiosyncratic (Kubilay, 2015).The reason for why consumers go to consume in Starbucks coffee shops lies in that it makes them tasteful. Excellent brand image can promote the formation of consumers’ awareness of conspicuous consumption, and conspicuous consumption awareness can make consumers have more brand loyalty to form public praise to induce other consumers to imitate, thus expanding the brand force (Miller, 2009).

4.0 Discussion

4.1 Establishment of a brand

Leaders of both Apple and Starbucks have strong brand awareness, they took a series of innovative means to maintain and enhance their brand images, ultimately they acquired consumers’ identification for the two brands.

Apple uses high-grade materials, refined workmanship, beautiful design in production of its products, appearance of Apple products is similar to a fine artwork, which exceeds consumers’ impression for general 3C products. Apple's products tend to use the most advanced technology, therefore, for consumers, Apple's brand image is not only a leading manufacturer of 3C products, but also represents a kind of fashion, culture and fashion attitude (Hartigh, Ortt, Kaa and Stolwijk, 2016). Apple's new products often do not need to be publicized too much, as the brand is able to make consumers worldwide obsessed, and now most consumers are proud of using products of Apple, in this case, the brand is now also gradually involved in part of fashion culture, even in China, the use of Apple products has become the symbol of a fashionable, young, wealthy identity.

Starbucks coffee has a pure quality and taste, they can provide the world's best coffee beans, and its value proposition is that what Starbucks sell is not coffee, but people’ experience for the coffee. Starbucks management atmosphere, personalized store design, warm lighting, soft music, all of these have created a unique laid-back, romantic and mysterious atmosphere of Starbucks. What consumers think about Starbucks is not just coffee, but a culture, a way of life and experience, in China and some other Asian countries, to consume in Starbucks shops has become the symbol of a fashionable, young identity (Hossain and Islam, 2015).

4.2 Brand and consumption culture

Current mainstream consumption culture is characterized by that consumers are no longer scrambling to conspicuous consumption, but choose goods which can show their personality, reflect their own status symbol and meet their own individual needs (Montgomerie and Roscoe, 2013). Apple and Starbucks took suitable brand strategies, making their own brands and products meet consumer demand well.

Steve Jobs, who was known as Apple’s CEO believed that "emotional economy" will replace "rational economy", it should produce "emotional resonance with consumers" and "experience making customers unforgettable." Apple takes independent innovation as the power source of development, at the same time, Apple pays more attention to improving user experience to establish a brand image for Apple, so that Apple products can better resonate with consumers (Hartigh, Ortt, Kaa and Stolwijk, 2016). For example, as long as a user opens or closes his two fingers on the screen of iphone 4, he can resize the window of the smart phone; it can automatically adjust the screen brightness according to ambient light intensity. It allows users to feel that the product knows what users think, it meets what users need, which also marks the era of smart phone really comes (Hartigh, Ortt, Kaa and Stolwijk, 2016).

There are a lot of coffee shops which can provide high-quality coffee beans, but why Starbucks is so successful, it is because it is able to provide the consumption experience matching with its brand image well to meet consumer demand. With the increasingly fast pace of modern urban life, more and more people feel lonely, so they are yearning to find the third space with unique and relaxed atmosphere between their home and office, it is different from home and office (Miller, 2009). Starbucks coffee shops always appear in the busiest street, in the most prominent position, people always think Starbucks at first-time, Starbucks offers music, online ordering, high-speed wireless Internet service, consumers can enjoy coffee, meet friends there, they can also work, or even hold a business meeting. The chamber music, furniture, wall colors, interior books, every detail forms the concept of "the third space", which makes consumers be especially willing to communicate with friends and colleagues in Starbucks shops (Miller, 2009).

4.3 Brand and consumption behavior

Both Apple and Starbucks are through the development of appropriate brand strategies to effectively change consumers’ consumption behavior to provide a great help to increase their efficiency and customer loyalty for the enterprises.

Apple’s exquisite design, advanced technology, good after-sales service and user experience have laid a stylish, high-quality, advanced and progressive brand image for Apple, consumers use Apple products not only because of its quality, but also because its ability to meet consumers’ psychological needs of demand for the pursuit of fashion, high-quality products, moreover, it can reveal consumers’ tastes and personality, therefore, it has a large number of loyal fans (Kubilay, 2015). They tend to have high brand loyalty, data show that 40% of Apple users will choose to buy Apple products again, the brand loyalty is much higher than other competitors’. At the same time, based on recognition of the brand, they are willing to buy a range of Apple products, including: iPhone, iMac, Macbook, iPad, iPod, iWatch, etc., which is difficult to be imitated by Apple’s competitors (Kubilay, 2015).

Starbucks not only sells high quality coffee beans, but also sells high-quality service experience, which helps Starbucks to establish its chic, sophisticated brand image of respecting knowledge, respecting consumers, so that the brand image goes beyond the impression that usual coffee shops bring people and it is in line with the contemporary psychological needs of young people, white-collar workers, fashion people, thus it attracts a large number of consumers holding the same concept with Starbucks, and they become the a large number of Starbucks fans. Consumption in Starbucks shops is not just drinking coffee, but a way of life, and it has become a lot of consumers’ habits, attracting more and more people to want to try. Now, Starbucks has become the first choice for many people to try freshly ground coffee. At the same time, there is the most consumers who choose to drink in Starbucks shops to reward themselves (Hymel, 2014).

5.0 Conclusion

Successful brand strategy has become one of the key factors for success of a modern enterprise, meanwhile, the implementation of brand strategy also has a certain impact on social and consumption behavior.

Leaders of Apple and Starbucks have a strong brand awareness and through taking a series of innovative means to establish a brand image which is completely different from their competitors’, the unique brand images meet consumer demand well and attract a large number of consumers, to effectively change consumption behavior and greatly help to increase efficiency of the two companies and loyalty of consumers for the enterprises.

 

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