In 2014 comedian, Nathan Fielder opened a coffee shop in Los Angeles that he called Dumb Starbucks. Both Starbucks and Dumb Starbucks are not affiliated however, Fielder used Starbucks' famous trademark and placed "Dumb" in front of it. He also mimicked their menu but placed the word "dumb" in front of every product. The shop caused something of a media stir when the News media reported on the opening of Dumb Starbucks and it gain recognition and publicity. Dumb Starbucks and the baristas gave away free coffee until they ran out. Some individuals reportedly waited an hour, if not three hours for a free cup of coffee from Dumb Starbucks. "There were also "dumb" versions of the CDs sold at [Dumb] Starbucks" (Lee). Dumb Starbucks was only open …show more content…
Dumb Starbucks said, that "the 'coffee' you're buying is considered the art, but that's for our lawyers to worry about. All you need to do is enjoy our delicious coffee," according to Lee. In other words, Dumb Starbucks it was not intended to be a successful coffee shop but more so to try to get publicity for Fielder's show on Comedy Central, according to Jones. The creation of Dumb Starbucks was the problem Fielder faced for using Starbucks trademark name and logo and supposedly not having the appropriate permits to use …show more content…
After Dumb Starbucks was closed down by the Los Angeles County Health Department. Fielder has said that he plans to open another Dumb Starbucks but not Los Angeles. Before he does so, I do agree with Jones when she stated, that it would be salutary to determine if opening the first store was successful. There are other methods in which he can get publicity rather than opening another coffee shop similar to Starbucks. For example, he can get publicity by looking into different forms of social media and following blogs, Facebook and Twitter to visually perceive if members of his target market were talking about Dumb Starbucks, Nathan Fielder, and/or Nathan for You. This method can help Fielder by getting an understanding of what his members want or what they like about him as a comedian or his show. He can do other adverting on social media as well such as YouTube or maybe even billboard ads but if Fielder wants supplemental footage of customers for his exhibition, it would not be wise to establish another Dumb Starbucks. Starbucks seems unlikely to sue the parody coffee shop however, Starbucks will be more liable to sue if Fielder threatens to open another one. If Starbucks were to sue, Fielder would get the supplemental publicity for Dumb Starbucks and probably for Nathan for You like he would. Nonetheless, it would cost him for creating another one and this would be deplorable
On February 7th, 2014, the coffee shop “Dumb Starbucks” opened its doors to LA coffee enthusiasts, who waited in line for hours to be served by a staff of “dumb baristas”. The shop is a complete replica of a traditional Starbucks, but with the word “dumb” placed in front of everything. You can order a “Dumb Venti Americano”, pick up a “Dumb Nora Jones Duets” CD, and even drink from a traditional Starbucks cup with “dumb” cropped into the classic green mermaid logo. The whole thing was created by comedian Nathan Fielder as an elaborate prank to parodize coffee culture. Nathan appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live later in the week to try and explain the success of Dumb Starbucks, claiming “I think a lot of americans maybe lost hope that innovation in business was gone, and I think people saw; ‘wow’ there’s a whole new way of doing things now” and that “it kind of allowed people to dream again, in a way”. But this isn’t Nathan’s first hoax, he has his own television show on Comedy Central called “Nathan For You” where he sets out to consult struggling small businesses by solving their problems with similar unconventional solutions. Nathan’s humor is derived from witty satirical writing backed by a flawless deadpan delivery, and he uses both high and low comedy to appeal to a wide audience.
Advertisements stand as a method of persuasion in order to sell a product. Starbucks, a high-quality coffee café was originally founded in 1971 in Seattle, Washington as a coffee bean and ground retailer fine restaurants. The name, inspired by a character in the book Moby Dick, captures the romance of the high seas and the seafaring tradition and history of early coffee traders. By 1986, Starbucks had become a popular coffeehouse chain inspired by the romance of espresso bars in Milan, Italy. Starbucks claims their goal is to create a connection with the consumer. Starbuck’s advertisements engage and spark your emotions visually which in-turn evokes desires. In this advertisement from Starbucks, we see the coffee chain is promoting their seasonal Pumpkin Spice Latte.
The new concept worked out and Il Giornale was a success. But Schulz aimed higher. He found local investors and bought Starbucks in 1987 for $3.8 million. That gave way for expansion and in the same year he opened new cafes in Chicago and even Vancouver, Canada. The original 17 Starbucks Cafes were established. In 1992 the company went public and stocks were now publicly traded at the NASDAQ (SBUX). At this time Starbucks counts approx. 165 cafes. On March 7th, 2001 Starbucks eventually moved to Europe and opened their first cafe in the Old World: Zurich, Switzerland. Today the company has more than 16,000 cafes in more than 35 countries. (Wilson)
Josh Feuerstein, the man who brought this to the attention of the nation, pushed for a fight against Starbucks. He simply posted a video calling for some “revolt” against Starbucks for the world to see. It was seen, reposted, liked, and commented on, and thus an entire movement was ignited. We live in a time where we can post our feelings and opinions openly and start a discussion. This "controversy" was somewhat ridiculous, but it started a discussion.
Starbucks, a coffee bean sales company did not have much of a marketing plan in place at its inception. Based in Seattle Washington the company began to sell coffee beans to espresso bars and upscale restaurants back in 1982. It took 11 years to progress to that level of production, they originally were a local store vendor at Pike Place Market. The director of marketing brought back the espresso bar idea from his travels in Milan. (Company Profile, 2015) The Pacific Northwest was filled with working class men and women that were drawn to the coffeehouse tradition brought in from Italy.
In 1984, the original owners of Starbucks, led by Baldwin, took the opportunity to purchase Peet's. (Baldwin still works there today.) In 1987 they sold the Starbucks chain to Schultz's Il Giornale, which re-branded the Il Giornale outlets as Starbucks and quickly began to expand. Starbucks opened its first locations outside Seattle in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (at Waterfront Station) and Chicago, Illinois, United States that same year. At the time of its initial public offering on the stock market in 1992, Starbucks had grown to 165 outlets.
There are many topics that arise throughout the case with Starbucks Corporation. Starbucks Coffee is located worldwide and there are many different ways to look at this situation. The company offers a unique range of coffee, lattes, espressos, and café style drinks. The company intended to reach a specific target audience, but has ended up in many different markets and has been growing rapidly. Starbucks has greatly used the “youth appeal” strategy to gain entrance into new markets. However, such enthusiasm cannot be counted on indefinitely; other strategies are always in the works. Over time Starbucks has been able to acquire a solid brand reputation and has a world renowned company logo.
In 1971, three young entrepreneurs began the Starbucks Corporation in Seattle Washington. Their key goal was to sell whole coffee beans. Soon after, Starbucks began experiencing huge growth, opening five stores all of which had roasting facilities, sold coffee beans and room for local restaurants. In 1987, Howard Schultz bought Starbucks from its original owners for $4 million after expanding Starbucks by opening three coffee bars. These coffee bars were based on an idea that was originally proposed to the owner who recruited him into the corporation as manager of retail and marketing. Overall, Schultz strategy for Starbucks was to grow slow. Starbucks went on to suffer financial losses and overhead operating expenses rose as Starbucks continued its slow expansion process. Despite the initial financial troubles, Starbucks went on to expand to 870 stores by 1996. Sales increased 84%, which brought the corporation out of debt. With the growing success, Starbucks planned to open 2000 stores by year 2000.
The text is trying to use humor to get the point across that they are the best, poking fun at other coffee shops, even independent ones, suggesting that they just are not as good as Starbucks. Humor also plays into who they are targeting, and uses humor to give them a little break, because most people who drink coffee are very busy, and to take a break and just laugh is very relaxing, and starbucks is saying that they can relax there and have a extraordinary cup of
Gordon Bowker, Jerry Baldwin and Ziv Siegl founded Starbucks in 1971. Their goal was to sell the finest quality whole beans and ground coffees (Starbucks timeline and history, 2004). In 1982, Starbucks had grown to five stores and started serving coffee to restaurants and espresso bars. Harold Schultz was employed as the director of retail operations and marketing. Harold Schultz convinced the founders of Starbucks to open a downtown Seattle coffee bar, which opened in 1984. With the success of Seattle coffee bar, Schultz left Starbucks to start his own company named Il Giornale. In 1987, Il Giornale acquired Starbucks retail operations for 4 million dollars. In addition, Il Giornale changed its name to Starbucks Corporation and opened locations in Chicago and Vancouver, B.C. (Starbucks timeline and history, 2004).
Founded in 1971 at Seattle’s Pike Place Market, Starbucks Coffee, Tea and Spices, as it was originally called, has been “brewing-up” its famous blends in over 43 countries, including the United States. Now called Starbucks Coffee Company, business isn’t just about the coffee and tea anymore. Starbucks has its own line of bottled water, handcrafted beverages, fresh food, entertainment, merchandise and a Starbucks Card. The company has received numerous awards for their outstanding business practices. Fortune Magazine has ranked them as one of “The Best 100 Companies to Work For” in 1998, 2000, 2002, and 2008 (Starbucks, 2008). The Starbucks Experience provides consumers and the general public a direct line a of business communication. From friendly baristas to press releases from CEO Howard Schultz, Starbucks keeps its “partners” informed.
Starbucks claims “We’ve always believed that businesses can and should have a positive impact on the communities they serve.” This aggressive attack on a small business simply attempting to add another coffee to their merchandise, suggests otherwise. Most people would agree that small businesses are a vital part of any community. If Starbucks can’t support and encourage a family owned business attempting to further their company, then they clearly don’t understand what it means to make a positive impact in a
Starbucks is an international coffee house and it was created in 1971 when they opened the first store in Seattle, Newcastle. Currently, they own 21,000 stores in 65 different countries of the world, and their passion for the great coffee, excellent service and community interaction exceeds cultures and languages (Starbucks, 2014). This company is the number 1 brand coffeehouse chain in the world due to the best roaster, marketer and seller of speciality coffee. Its main slogan: “Our mission: to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighbourhood at a time” (Jurevicius, 2013).
Schultz has had a lot of success with Starbucks, not only in revenue but he has continued to expand the brands in their portfolio, increase store locations and reach all new highs. Starbucks is now an international company with more than 21,000 stores in over 65 countries (Starbucks Coffee International, n.d.). Starbucks believes their global success has a lot to do with their international partners. Schultz explained it nicely when he said, “We remain highly respectful of the culture and traditions of the countries in which we do business. We recognize that our success is not an entitlement, and we must continue to earn the trust and respect of customers every day” (Starbucks Coffee International, n.d.). Schultz continually sees opportunity and the ability for growth, with an increase in locations across the globe every year and the ability to keep up with the latest in technology (websites, online shopping, a Starbucks application with the ability to pay and reload loyalty cards on your smart phone), etc.
Starbucks is a worldwide company, known for is delicious brews of coffee and seasonal varieties of tasty drinks for any occasion. Starbucks opened with two main goals, sharing great coffee with friends and to help make the world a little better. It originated in the historic Pike Place Market of Seattle, Washington in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl and Gordon Bowker. The creation of Starbucks’ name came from the seafaring tradition of early coffee traders and the romance evoked from Moby Dick. At the time, this individual shop specialized in the towering quality of coffee over competitors and other brewing services enabling its growth to becoming the largest coffee chain in Washington with numerous locations. In the early 1980s, the current CEO Schultz saw an opportunity for growth in the niche market. After a trip to Italy he brought back the idea of a café style environment of leisure and social meetings to the United States we now see in Starbucks locations today. Schultz ultimately left Starbucks to open his own coffee shop, Il Giornale which turned out to be a tremendous success. Fast forward a year later, Schultz got wind that Starbucks was going to sell all their components of Starbucks including their stores and factories, he immediately acquired the funds to buy Starbucks and linked both operations. Within five years he was able to open more than 125 stores starting in New England, Boston, Chicago, and gradually entered California. He wanted Starbucks to be a franchise system based on the mission of telling the truth and emphasize the quality,