Business Finance - Management Week 10 Assignment- Marketing for Competitiveness

Prepared by: Lakenya Campbell

Date: October 26th, 2025

Walden University

MBAX 6060: Marketing for Competitiveness

Part 2: Marketing With the Customer in Mind

External Stakeholders and Influencers

Starbucks' diversity and inclusion is being promoted by external stakeholders, who are important for the #BrewTogether campaign. Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube video makers engaging around diversity, equity, and inclusion are major influencers. Influencer marketing is successful when companies partner with influencers whose values fit their brand and whose followers match the target market. True interaction can only occur when followers do not just see the influencer as a marketer (Haenlein et al., 2020). LGBTQ+ centers, racial justice groups, and disability advocacy networks lend credibility and grassroots links. Starbucks employees share their honest experiences of inclusivity that are more powerful than the firm’s messages. (Schillewaert, 2020). Media focusing on social justice and corporate responsibility can validate the campaign and help it go viral beyond social media.

Potential New Customer Base

Starbucks can target varied demographics to grow its brands that openly support social causes, attract the Generation Z (18-27 years) age group (TEDx, 2019). Millennials aged 28 to 38 and professionals aged 28 to 43 who identify as Black, Latinx, Asian American, Native American, and multiracial respond to brand messaging that represents them. LGBTQ+ people embrace all year-round inclusion from companies. Disabled people do not get enough representation; thus, the campaign will focus on. Markets are growing in large cities with varied cultural origins of first-generation and second-generation migrants. Positive messaging will attract both ethical consumers and corporate social responsibility consumers. Moorman and McCarthy (2021) found that consumers post-pandemic make brand evaluations based on social effect and values congruence.

Prioritized Consumer Needs

To communicate effectively with consumers through social media, one must understand their perspective. Customers want real commitment towards diversity, not fake activism, with honest stories and visible action taking place to support inclusion (Gynn, 2020). Another perspective customers have is that they want to see people like them and see their experiences across color, ethnicity, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, and handicap (Zalis, 2019). We must learn to accept uncommon cultures and never stereotype them (Lumen Learning, n.d.). Finally, brands that create welcoming environments support consumers in building a connection. (Brand Master Academy, 2020). Fifth, customers value high-quality products and good experiences because social values support the primary value proposition. Customer participation is more valued than mere passive reception of messages. (12 words) (James 2020).

Influencing Customer Behavior and Promoting Buy-In

Considerations for Influencing Behavior

Strategic persuasive marketing while keeping ethics is needed to change customer behavior. The campaign must use emotive storytelling to link diversity and inclusion to universal human sensations of belonging and community (HubSpot, 2020). Social proof is important because customers support efforts, they see others supporting. Use of user-generated content shows support and normalizes inclusive behaviour (Haenlein et al., 2020). Create shareable, visually appealing content designed for several platforms to maximize reach. According to TEDx Talks (2018), social media has transformed marketing by providing two-way discussions between brands and consumers that require genuine listening and responding.

Challenges in Gaining Buy-In

Getting buy-in client can be difficult. Consumers witnessed performative allyship where diversity marketing lacks organizational commitment, which creates doubt in the goals of the company (sociallink, 2020). Starbucks' previous racial bias may increase distrust. The media consumption and messaging response are different for multicultural communities, which creates more issues. It is hard to break through the cluttered social media landscape because of message fatigue and competition for attention. Customers dismiss diversity programs, calling them nothing but political agendas. Some audiences may fully interact with the content due to language and accessibility limitations.

Recommendations for Overcoming Challenges

Starbucks needs to move away from advertising messages to help boost the #BrewTogether initiative and work on authentic collaborations and long-term community involvement. Choose influencers and advocacy groups for a range of backgrounds in advocacy. Starbucks should give these partners creative freedom to tell their stories around inclusion. Haenlein et al. (2020) give a solid reason here: influencer trust comes from real stories. Starbucks ought to coach and encourage workers to be brand ambassadors and share experiences. Firsthand accounts humanize the brand through emotion. When brands share progress indicators, community impact reports, and diversity targets, they prove accountability. It is also a measure to build consumer trust.

Starbucks should enhance consumer engagement and buy-in through the use of data interaction. Analytics may evaluate engagement trends through multiple channels and how it can customize messages to multiple audiences to ensure cultural appropriateness (Moorman & McCarthy, 2021). When people create content for a platform, they feel closer to it and are able to build a community with its other users. Starbucks could combine messages about inclusiveness with content that shows actual behaviours, such as helping a minority-owned coffee supplier or improving accessibility to its shops. By communicating proactively and getting feedback from consumers, backlash will be reduced and brand perception will be sustained, positioning Starbucks as a corporate inclusion leader.

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References

Brand Master Academy. (2020, February 21). Nail your brand messaging strategy with these 6 principles [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZapji2x7QE

Gynn, A. (2020, June 5). How to do diverse and inclusive content marketing that matters. Content Marketing Institute. https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2020/06/diverse-inclusive-content-marketing/

Haenlein, M., Anadol, E., Farnsworth, T., Hugo, H., Hunichen, J., & Welte, D. (2020). Navigating the new era of influencer marketing: How to be successful on Instagram, TikTok, & co. California Management Review, 63(1), 5–25. https://doi.org/10.1177/0008125620958166

HubSpot. (2020, April 13). How to advertise on the top social media platforms [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNMIb-wOA_A

James, L. (2020, September 11). How to develop a social media strategy step by step [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKUn7wU5sIc

Lumen Learning. (n.d.). Reading: Cultural factors shaping the global marketing environment. In Principles of marketing. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/vccs-mkt100-17fa/chapter/reading-cultural-factors-shaping-the-global-marketing-environment/

Moorman, C., & McCarthy, T. (2021, January 19). CMOs: Adapt your social media strategy for a post-pandemic world. Harvard Business Review Digital Articles, 2–5.

Schillewaert, N. (2020, July 7). Brand religions: The 3 beliefs of the influencer religion. InSites Consulting. https://insites-consulting.com/blog/brand-religions-the-3-beliefs-of-the-influencer-religion/

sociallink. (2020, September 19). Diversity and inclusion in marketing. https://www.sociallink.com/blog/diversity-inclusion-marketing-agency

TEDx. (2019, March 18). How influencers have transformed modern marketing | Rachel David | TEDx Vancouver [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbbEXnRG9d8

TEDx Talks. (2018, October 30). How social media is changing the face of marketing | Teresa Heath-Wareing | TEDxTelford [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekPGf3QeBlE

Zalis, S. (2019, November). Inclusive ads are affecting consumer behavior, according to new research. Think With Google. https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/future-of-marketing/management-and-culture/diversity-and-inclusion/thought-leadership-marketing-diversity-inclusion/

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