Starbucks’ Secret Recipe: The Power of a Post

In this recent post on IgniteSocialMedia.com, Craig Carter discussed the repercussions and corrections for the Starbucks Community Manager who posted this “secret recipe” on the brand’s Facebook Page:

These pictures on Facebook misled customers to believe that there was a cotton candy Frappuccino while in fact they were promoting a raspberry-vanilla flavor.

While the post was eye-catching and gained a lot of popularity (almost 170,000 likes and 18,000 shares!) the post ended up creating a great amount of tension between Starbucks management and their baristas.

Being that the goal of social media marketers is to generate this kind of buzz the posts actually did extremely well on that standard. However, the tension that was stirred had a negative influence on Starbucks’ brand identity.

This case study offers us three lessons to apply in future circumstances so similar tension can be avoided:

Lesson #1:  Choose Hashtags Wisely

With Facebook’s new addition of hashtags, businesses should choose carefully in order to avoid miscommunication.

The first problem here is that Raspberry + Vanilla ≠ Cotton Candy.

Hashtags are meant to help Facebook users to find everyone talking about the same topic.  The problem with the general topic of “cotton candy” is that it’s irrelevant, other than the fact that it is the same color as this particular drink.

The #cottoncandy and the juxtaposed photo of cotton candy make it seem like “Cotton Candy” is the Frappuccino flavor that customers should ask for.  Instead of #cottoncandy, Starbucks should have offered the following hashtags to avoid confusion: #RasberryVanillaBean #Frappuccino. This would have helped to eliminate the confusion of the alleged “Cotton Candy Frappuccino” that patrons started asking for.

Lesson #2.  Keep employees highly-informed

The recipe was so secret that even the baristas didn’t know about it.

When offering up a new product, even a “secret” menu item such as this one, it is important to consider the entire fan base which includes keeping employees informed.  Memos should have been sent out to each store for managers to relay the menu item onto the baristas to avoid confusion at the register.

Lesson #3.  Respond to negative comments in a timely fashion.

This post was only highly-active for a few hours.  In that time, when confusion started to arise and catch fire, Starbucks should have posted a follow up comment on the post with a solution for both customers and baristas, thanking them for their insight.  It is important to note that ignoring or deleting negative comments can fuel the fire of negative messages.  Instead, always use the opportunity to address the concern with a positive solution.

Little interactions on social media can have big consequences.  Even something as seemingly-harmless as a simple Facebook post can generate widespread brand confusion.  Social Media can have a powerful impact on brand image and the way that customers view it.

Negative comments on social media can be detrimental, but they also have the potential to be an incredible resource for both you and your customers.  Treat every interaction as an opportunity to create brand advocates.  By appropriately addressing negative comments on social media, your brand power can actually increase.

Although this was a fleeting case in time, the negative memory could still be lingering for those confused patrons who asked for a Cotton Candy Frappuccino and were met with a dumbfounded glare by the barista.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Social media is an extremely important element of your brand identity, but it also opens up your business to public opinions, which can be either good or bad.  Since social media is not going anywhere, businesses must embrace and respond to the good, the bad, and the ugly.