Two of my favorite things should come together.
Tomorrow is the Starbucks Annual Meeting, which I really wish I was going to. I’m a shareholder, but with just recently taking a vacation, decided I should be at work, rather than checking out what Howard talks about tomorrow. He’s typically not rolling out as many new and noteworthy things as Steve Jobs, but since it is his first meeting since retaking his role as CEO, it may be the biggest meeting in recent history.
Then this coming Thursday is the beginning of March Madness. The best sporting event of the year that typically does not have Oregon State in it. With the tournament comes office pools and many many brackets being filled out, distributed, and talked about with almost every person you know. I have what I think is my final bracket, but with UCLA having two potential game changing injuries, I may have to change it again tomorrow.
As there is a rumor that Starbucks may be unveiling a customer loyalty program tomorrow it got me thinking as to what this program can, will, and should look like. A free drink every ten drinks? Doesn’t seem like it’s worth it. A bonus for auto-filling your Starbucks Card? Potentially. More personalized emails, offers, recommendations, etc. Hopefully. However, with my regular Starbucks having the occasional trivia games with free drinks (or high-fives), it hit me.
Starbucks should unveil a nation wide NCAA bracket challenge. Everyone is getting into it, even John McCain has his bracket, that you can sign up for and win McCain shwag (Sounds exciting).
Think about it. Starbucks makes a brackets that you can fill out online, or fill out in person at your local Starbucks. They then tie each bracket to a registered Starbucks Card holder. Starbucks is then able to put updates on their chalk boards each morning as to who the leaders at that particular Starbucks are and where they rank in the state or nation (if they are close to the top). This creates a HUGE connection in the store, between the baristas and customers and even among the customers. Starbucks offers, a weeks worth (1 a day) of whatever the customers most frequently ordered drink is (as it’s tied to their Starbucks Card) if they win the individual store bracket, maybe a month if they win the state, and a year if they win the whole thing. A year worth of coffee at say $4 is still only apx $1500. Not much to create the type of buzz and community that this would bring with it.This would bring people back to either the store or the website, create a bond between a large group of people, and in my opinion would drive up loyalty which in turn drives up sales. They can then parlay this into other trivia games, fantasy sports leagues, random drawings, etc.
Now THAT is a good customer loyalty program for Starbucks if you ask me. What do you think? Am I to wrapped up in these two events? Is it to crazy of an idea?
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