Some lessons from Marketing Disasters,
Starbucks do not rely on traditional television and print ads for their marketing. Instead, they gain mindshare by having their coffee shops every street corner. They also fill the shelves of stores with their bottled drinks and ground coffee. Beyond that, they allowed licensed stores to be opened in seemingly every grocery store, office building, and airport. Great idea, you would say as it gives lot of exposure to the brand. But the result is not so good. The Starbucks brand has become watered down to the point that it doesn’t represent quality coffee and great customer service anymore. Also, the very purpose for which it was established, to provide a comfortable place for people to sit and discuss business, was defeated. In short, Starbucks became fat and greedy, and they bit off more than they could chew.
Moral: Allow your brand to have an organic growth. Do not accelarate the pace of growth artificially. Then, your brand will become watered down, and eventually, mismatch between expectations and delivery will come to the surface.
All of you know about Titanic. The Titanic was a massive ship that was touted as being unsinkable. The boat captured the attention of the public, and it was to be the most luxurious vessel ever to grace the sea. Then, April 14, 1912 happened. During the Titanic’s maiden voyage, the boat struck an iceberg and sank a few hours later. No one could believe that after such hype, the vessel was destroyed on its first journey. One of the main reason for the disaster was the overconfidence of the Crew, who believed the marketing hype, and did not take precautions when Ice bergs were in the vicinity. You can say that Titanic was a victim of its own vanity.
Moral: Don’t make claims you can’t live up to. Only make guarantees if you plan on fulfilling them.
