Starbucks- Brand Research Report

7/28/2019 Starbucks- Brand Research Report

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This study looks at the brand personality of Starbucks coffee company. The research is

meant to further investigate the theory that Starbucks has become a feminized brand. An online

survey was conducted in which a feminized brand personality scale and a masculine brand

personality scale were used to gauge participants perceptions of the femininity of the brand.

Participants were also asked to rate the coolness of Starbucks. It was found that females

perceive Starbucks to be cooler than males do. Starbucks also tested to be more feminine than

the other brands tested based on the brand personality scales.

INTRODUCTION:

Based on our situation analysis of Starbucks, we wanted to determine whether the

Starbucks brand is becoming feminized. Upon researching the company, we found that the brand

is more popular among women63% of women have preference for Starbucks as opposed to

32% of men (Simmons, 2011). We originally believed that certain aspects of Starbucks

branding strategies appeal to more feminine values, making the brand more attractive to female

consumers. The difference in popularity between genders is detrimental to Starbucks because

men are deterred from purchasing their products; excluding a number of potential consumers. By

understanding the issues behind this problem, Starbucks will be able to sustain, if not increase,

its number of male consumers, leading to an increase in brand popularity and revenue. Research

has helped us to better understand this situation by showing that Starbucks, while not completely

feminized, is more feminine than other brands. We have also discovered that females are more

likely to consider Starbucks a cool brand.

METHODOLOGY:

Our goal was to understand the following research question: Is the Starbucks brand

feminized? We hypothesized that Starbucks has more feminine attributes, causing a significant

Does this cup make me look fat?: A survey of Starbucks femininity 1


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gap between number of female and male consumers. The methodology employed for answering

this question was a survey involving masculine brand personality (MBP) and feminine brand

personality (FBP) scales, as used in Bianca Grohmanns 2009 study, Gender Dimensions of

Brand Personality. The MBP/FBP scale is two-dimensional and measures masculine and

feminine brand personality traits. The brand personality measure consists of 12 characteristics

with six characteristics per dimension (Handbook of Marketing Scales, 2011). Grohmanns

study was broken down into seven sub-studies; creating the scale itself, ensuring validity, and

testing generalizability, among other things. Our research reflected methods used in Study 3:

Predicting Brand Personality of Existing Brands. In this study, a set of brands were rated using

the MBP/FBP scale. Two hundred eighty undergraduate students rated one brand of soap,

fragrance, deodorant, and soft drink using the 12-item MBP/FBP scale (Grohmann, 2009).

The survey we implemented mimicked Grohmanns Study 3, involving twelve Likert-

type items pertaining to Starbucks, using the MBP/FBP scale descriptors tested successfully by

Grohmann. The feminine descriptors used were sensitive, expresses tender feelings,

graceful, sweet, tender, and fragile. The masculine descriptors included adventurous,

sturdy, aggressive, dominant, brave, and daring. As in Grohmanns study,

undergraduate participants rated the descriptiveness of a given descriptor, as it pertains to

Starbucks, using a nine point scale, from not at all descriptive to extremely descriptive. We

also included identical questions about other large corporations in order to see how Starbucks

was gendered compared to other brands. Using a random number generator found on

Random.org, we selected three of the top 100 brands as defined by Brandz Top 100 Most

Valuable Global Brands. The additional brands incorporated into our survey in addition to

Starbucks were Home Depot, McDonalds, and Blackberry.



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The survey was broken up into sections by brandStarbucks first, then McDonalds,

then Home Depot, and then Blackberry. A random number generator determined the order in

which the 12 descriptors would be listed, and this order was kept consistent across each of the

four brand sections.

In this portion of the survey, the independent variable was gender, allowing us to

determine if males and females viewed Starbucks differently. The dependent variable was the

perceived gender of brand personality.

A later addition to our survey involved participants ranking different brands on a scale of

coolness, in order to evaluate if males and females access brands as cool in the same way.

We selected 10 logos using a random selection method like before. The list included H&M,

Nintendo, Blackberry, Facebook, Home-Depot, McDonalds, Mercedes-Benz, Pampers, Red Bull,

and Starbucks. Likert-like scales were designed to test the variables of cool for each, asking

How cool do you find the following brands? using an image of each brands logo in the

question. Participants then rated each brand on a scale of 1 to 9; 1 being not at all cool, and 9

being very cool. This scale was not replicated on one previously found. Again, a random

number generator was used to determine the order that the ten brands would be listed. This

second section assessing brand coolness was implemented to provide additional research in the

case that the results of the first portion of the survey did not hold true to our hypothesis. For this

section of the survey, the independent variable was gender, and the dependent variable was the

perceived coolness of each brand tested.

RESULTS:

In Grohmanns original study, 280 undergraduate students were sampled. In order to

obtain generalizability and stability, we needed a relatively large sample as well. Our goal was to



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have at least 200 undergraduate participantsassuming each of our five group members would

be able to recruit 40 subjects. Our sample was obtained using convenience sampling. Each of us

sent out a link to our survey using Facebook and Twitter. We ended up with 140 participants

(N=140) who fully completed the survey; however the sample was largely female74% of the

respondents were female, and only 26% male.

Part 1Is Starbucks a feminized brand?

Our first research question was Is Starbucks as a brand becoming feminized? Using a

paired samples t-test, we compared the mean the masculinity score to the mean of the femininity

score for each brand tested. Each of the means was then divided by 6 (number of masculine and

feminine descriptors) to obtain a single masculine and feminine rating for each brand on a 9

point scale.

Pair 1 (Starbucks): A paired-samples t-test was conducted to compare attitudes toward

the Starbucks brand in masculinity and femininity. A significant difference was found

between Starbucks masculinity (M = 28.21, SD = 11.00) and Starbucks femininity (M =

26.19, SD = 10.59); t(139) = 2.21, p < 0.05. Starbucks average masculinity score (after

dividing by 6 for each descriptor) was 4.70 on the 9 point scale. Starbucks average

femininity score was 4.36 on the 9 point scale.

Pair 2 (McDonalds): A paired-samples t-test was conducted to compare attitudes toward

the McDonalds brand in masculinity and femininity. A significant difference was found

between McDonalds masculinity (M = 27.41, SD = 10.43) and McDonalds femininity

(M = 16.31, SD = 9.65); t(139) = 13.14, p < 0.05. McDonalds average masculinity score

was 4.57 on the 9 point scale. McDonalds average femininity score was 2.72 on the 9

point scale.



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Pair 3 (Home Depot): A paired-samples t-test was conducted to compare attitudes

toward the Home Depot brand in masculinity and femininity. A significant difference

was found between Home Depots masculinity (M = 29.00, SD = 11.77) and Home

Depots femininity (M = 15.99, SD = 10.07); t(139) = 11.61, p < 0.05. Home Depots

average masculinity score was 4.83 on the 9 point scale. Home Depots femininity score

was 2.66 on the 9 point scale.

Pair 4 (Blackberry): A paired-samples t-test was conducted to compare attitudes toward

the Blackberry brand in masculinity and femininity. A significant difference was found

between Blackberrys masculinity (M = 25.79, SD = 11.81) and Blackberrys femininity

(M = 18.78, SD = 9.74); t(139) = 8.79, p < 0.05. Blackberrys masculinity score was 4.30

on the 9 point scale. Blackberrys femininity score was 3.13 on the 9 point scale.

Paired Samples Statistics

Mean N Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean

Starbucks Masculinity Score 28.2143 140 10.99953 .92963Pair 1

starbucks Feminity score 26.1857 140 10.59292 .89526mcdonaldsmasculinityScore 27.4071 140 10.43024 .88152Pair 2

mcdonalds femininity Score 16.3071 140 9.64693 .81531

homedepot masculinity

Score

28.9929 140 11.77150 .99487Pair 3

homedepot feminine 15.9857 140 10.07453 .85145

blackberry masculinity 25.7929 140 11.81055 .99817Pair 4

blackberry femininity 18.7786 140 9.74278 .82342



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A second series of paired-samples t-tests was conducted to compare Starbucks

femininity score to the femininity scores of the other 3 brands tested:

Pair 1 (Starbucks & McDonalds): A paired-samples t-test was conducted to compare

degree of femininity between Starbucks and McDonalds. A significant difference was



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found between Starbucks femininity (M = 26.19, SD = 10.59) and McDonalds

femininity (M = 16.31, SD = 9.65); t(139) = 10.41, p < 0.05.

Pair 2 (Starbucks & Home Depot): A paired-samples t-test was conducted to compare

degree of femininity between Starbucks and Home Depot. A significant difference was

found between Starbucks femininity (M = 26.19, SD = 10.59) and Home Depots


Pair 3 (Starbucks & Blackberry): A paired-samples t-test was conducted to compare

degree of femininity between Starbucks and Blackberry. A significant difference was

found between Starbucks femininity (M = 26.19, SD = 10.59) and Blackberrys


Paired Samples Statistics

Mean N Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean

starbucks Feminity score 26.1857 140 10.59292 .89526Pair 1

mcdonalds femininity Score 16.3071 140 9.64693 .81531


homedepot feminine 15.9857 140 10.07453 .85145


blackberry femininity 18.7786 140 9.74278 .82342



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Finally, a Cronbachs Alpha test was conducted to test internal consistency and scale

reliability. The scale across all brands had a Cronbachs Alpha of = .869, proving that the scale

was definitely reliable.

Reliability Statistics

Cronbach's

Alpha N of Items

.869 8



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Part 2Is Starbucks considered cool?

The second section of the survey explored what brands people considered to be cool.

The brands that were tested were H&M, Nintendo, Blackberry, Facebook, Starbucks, Mercedes-

Benz, Home Depot, McDonalds, Pampers, and Red Bull. Coolness was measured on a scale of 1-

9, with 1 being not cool at all and 9 being very cool. Descriptive statistics were taken in

which the mean, median, and mode were studied. The brand that tested the highest in terms of

coolness was Mercedes-Benz, with a mean coolness rating of 7.48. The brand that tested the

lowest in terms of coolness was Pampers with a mean coolness rating of 2.8. Starbucks mean

coolness rating was 6.96, and has the third highest cool rating of all the companies tested.

Brand Overall Mean Coolness Rating

Mercedes-Benz 7.48

Facebook 7.10

Starbucks 6.96

H&M 6.55

Red Bull 5.82

Blackberry 5.36

Nintendo 4.97

Home Depot 4.01

McDonalds 3.55

Pampers 2.80



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An important part of the results for the coolness rating was the differences between males

and females. An independent sample t-test was conducted to determine whether there was a

significant difference between what females perceived to be cool and what men perceived to be

cool. The following table reports the results that were found:

Brand Gender N Mean Std.

Deviation

Significance

(2-tailed)

Significant or

not?

H&M Male

Female

35

104

5.71

6.83

2.136

1.760

.008 Significant

Nintendo Male

Female

35

104

5.91

4.65

2.418

2.445

.009 Significant

Blackberry Male

Female

35

104

4.771

5.558

2.340

2.1033

.065 Not

Significant

Facebook Male

Female

35

104

6.46

7.32

1.853

1.725

.013 Significant

Starbucks Male

Female

35

104

6.20

7.21

1.891

1.739

.004 Significant

Mercedes-Benz Male

Female

35

104

7.23

7.57

1.716

1.816

.335 Not

Significant

Home Depot Male

Female

35

104

4.83

3.74

2.007

1.895

.004 Significant

McDonalds Male

Female

35

104

3.69

3.50

2.298

1.911

.669 Not

Significant

Pampers Male

Female

35

104

2.63

2.86

1.767

1.913

.537 Not

Significant

Red Bull Male

Female

35

104

5.97

5.77

2.549

2.295

.662 Not

Significant



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There was a significant difference between males and females in perceived coolness of

H&M such that females (n=104, M=6.83, SD=1.76) perceived H&M to be cooler than males

(n=35, M=5.71, SD=2.14) (t(139)= 2.78, p < 0.05).


Nintendo such that males (n=35, M=5.91, SD=2.42) perceived Nintendo to be cooler than

females (n=104, M=4.65, SD=2.45) (t(139)=2.65, p < 0.05).

There was no significant difference between males (n=35, M=4.77, SD=2.34) and

females (n=35, M=5.56, SD=2.10) in perceived coolness of Blackberry (t(139)=1.86, p=0.065).


Facebook such that females (n=104, M=7.32, SD=1.73) perceived Facebook to be cooler than

males (n=35, M=6.46, SD=1.85) (t(139)=2.50, p < 0.05).



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Starbucks such that Females (n=104, M=7.21, SD=1.74) perceived Starbucks to be cooler than

males (n=35, M=6.2, SD=1.89) (t(139)=2.91, p < 0.05).


females (n=104, M=7.57, SD=1.82) in the perceived coolness of Mercedes-Benz (t(139)=0.97,

p=0.335).

The was a significant difference between males and females in perceived coolness of

Home Depot such that males (n=35, M= 4.83, SD=2.01) perceived Home Depot to be cooler

than females (n=104, M=3.74, SD=1.9) (t(139)=2.90, p < 0.05).

There was no significant difference between males (n=35, M=3.69, SD=2.3) and females

(n=104, M=3.5, SD=1.91) in the perceived coolness of McDonalds (t(139)=0.431, p=0.669).


females (n=104, M=2.86, SD=1.91) in the perceived coolness of Pampers (t(139)=0.62,

p=0.537).


females (n=104, M=5.77, SD=2.3) in the perceived coolness of Red Bull (t(139)=0.438,

p=0.662).

DISCUSSION:

Through Part 1 of our study, which analyzed brand gender, we discovered that Starbucks

is not exactly feminized, however it is the least masculine of all the brands tested. We found that

Starbucks was rated rather neutrally, but out of all the masculine-feminine paired t-tests

conducted, Starbucks was ranked the most feminine of all brands tested, in that it was the least

masculine. Home Depot was found as the most masculine of the brands, followed by



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McDonalds, then by Blackberry, and then Starbucks. We also found that Starbucks ranked

highest in femininity when comparing Starbucks femininity to score to those of the other brands

through a paired-samples t-test.

These results were not quite as expected, but can still contribute to our theory. While

these findings were not exactly aligned with our original hypothesis that the brand is completely

feminized, we can still see that Starbucks is not as masculine as a variety of other brands, which

could contribute to Starbucks lower numbers of male consumers when compared to females.

Additionally, the results found Part 2, the coolness rating section of the survey, show that

females consider Starbucks to be significantly cooler than males do. The only brands that

females found to be cooler than Starbucks were Mercedes-Benz and Facebook.

These results were expected, which is reflected in our hypothesis. This supports our

hypothesis that Starbucks is becoming an increasingly feminized brand because there is a

significant difference the female coolness rating of Starbucks in comparison to the male

coolness rating.

The only major flaw in our study was the disproportionate number of female and male

participants. We had 104 female respondents and only 35 males. This could have impacted the

results we received because if one male answered completely differently than the other males

then the mean coolness rating could have been affected greatly. In comparison, if a female had

answered completely differently than the other females the mean would not have been affected

as much as the male mean could have been. This may have skewed the results of our survey in

that our male results were not as externally valid as our female results.



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CONCLUSION:

Overall, the results of our research show that the Starbucks brand, while not absolutely

feminized, still appeals more to females. Starbucks is the least masculine of the four brands

studied. Additionally, Starbucks is more likely to be ranked as cool by females than it is by

males. These results allow us to further understand the reasons behind the male-female

discrepancy in Starbucks consumers.

An extension to this study would be to compare Starbucks to brands that are perceived by

the researcher as definitely feminine, instead of using random selection, in order to see how

Starbucks ranks compared to highly feminized brands. This might help gain a better perspective

of how feminized Starbucks actually is, by seeing if it is rated similarly to other brands that are

perceived as definitely feminine.

This study could be improved by increasing the number of participants to at least meet

the number used in Grohmanns study. It could also be improved by ensuring more equal

numbers of male and female participants. Both of these improvements would add stability to the

results of the study, gaining a more accurate depiction of male and female attitudes toward

Starbucks and other brands.

Aside from brand genderization, there may be additional factors that deter males from

purchasing Starbucks. A future study, such as a focus group or interviews involving male

consumers, could be conducted that examines their reasons for not consuming Starbucks.

Perhaps male coffee drinkers prefer another brand of coffee, or maybe males purchase another

product entirely, such as energy drinks.



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RECOMMENDATIONS:

Our results exemplified that Starbucks is a more feminized brand when compared to

other brands. In addition, men viewed Starbucks as significantly less cool than females. We

believe our client should take action to masculinize their brand and also make their brand

cooler in the eyes of the male population. We think that Starbucks can do this by altering their

advertising campaigns. Indeed, Starbucks does very little in traditional advertising. We think

that Starbucks could benefit by using more traditional advertising geared towards males.

Millward Brown, a global marketing research organization, conducted a study on how men and

women respond differently to advertisements. Their results showed that men respond better to

humorous ads, more specifically, spoofs (Millward Brown, 2011). We believe that Starbucks

could be viewed as taking itself very seriously, and it would serve the brand well to develop a

sense of humor. Starbucks can do this by spoofing itself in commercials.

Although Starbucks brand is not feminized, their advertising approach is not targeted

towards men either. Our creative advertisement would display a buff manly man holding a

Starbucks drink with a stereotyped, girly name. This would target the male audience in a

humorous way. Our commercial would be designed after the same platform. A man would go

into a Starbucks and order a long drink like a, Venti, sugar-free, non-fat, vanilla soy, decaf, no

foam, extra hot, pumpkin spice with light whip and extra syrup please... oh and a birthday

cake pop, and act pleased when he receives it. A voiceover then would say, The coffee makes

the man. We think a strong male advertisement would benefit the Starbucks culture and

introduce more males to the brand.

We also think that Starbucks could benefit from doing product placements in shows

watched primarily by men such as Curb Your Enthusiasm on the HBO network. We think that a



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show like Curb Your Enthusiasm would be the best fit because it would be in our target market.

HBO is a premium channel in the same way that Starbucks is a premium product. It would

definitely add that humorous edge we are looking to attain. Ultimately, we want our

recommendations to bring in more males without losing the interest and business of females.

This would draw in more of the male population and could help Starbucks maximize their

customer-base and profits.

The comedy series, Curb Your Enthusiasm, follows Larry David, a semi-fictional

character of himself, co-creator of Seinfeld. Larry, a mook, is a single man discovering the

dating scene of Los Angeles (Curb Your Enthusiasm: About the Show, 2011). We selected this

particular show because the recent seasons premier broadcast drew an audience of 1.7 million

during the 10 pm showing, up 53% from the last season. 2.1 million viewers was the total after

the midnight showing (Curb Your Enthusiasm Premiere Ratings Highest Since 2004).

The advertisement would have to be careful not to mock Starbucks, or offend women but

attract men. Ideas for the placement would be for the barista at Starbucks to write flirty messages

on the cups, or changing Larrys name to pet names.

The creative advertising platform was discussed from the idea that we needed to branch

out our target advertising to men. We would place the male ads in non-gender specific magazines

like Time and Entertainment as well as mens magazines like GQ and Mens Health Magazine.

According to Sanjay Putrevu, compared to women, men will generate more positive affect and

stronger PI that are simple and focus one or a few key features (Putrevu 53). Placing a specific

product advertisement in these magazines will help our target audience because men are item-

specific processors, whereas women are relational (Putrevu 54). Our ads are simple enough to

display only one brand, and not concentrate on forming a direct relationship.



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REFERENCES:

Bearden, W. O., Netemeyer, R. G., & Haws, K. L. (2011). Handbook of marketing scales:

Multiitem measures for marketing and consumer behavior research. Thousand Oaks, CA:SAGE.

"Curb Your Enthusiasm: About the Show." HBO. Web. 05 Dec. 2011.

.

"Curb Your Enthusiasm Premiere Ratings Highest Since 2004." Breaking News and Opinion onThe Huffington Post. Web. 05 Dec. 2011. .

Grohmann, B. (2009), Gender Dimensions of Brand Personality, Journal of MarketingResearch, 46 (January), 105-19.

Millward Brown. (2011). Do men and women respond differently to ads? Retrieved from:

http://www.wpp.com/NR/rdonlyres/1DD86CF1-C93A-49C6-94FC-653889D60652/0/millward_brown_men_women.pdf

National Consumer Study. (2007) [Data file]. In Choices 3. Starbucks: Experian Simmons.

Sanjay Putrevu . Communicating with the Sexes: Male and Female Responses to PrintAdvertisements Journal of Advertising , Vol. 33, No. 3 (Autumn, 2004), pp. 51-62

Schept, K., Naim, L., WPP, & Millward Brown. (2011). Brandz Top 100 most valuable global

brands. Retrieved from http://c3232792.r92.cf0.rackcdn.com/WPP_BrandZ_2011.pdf


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Starbucks- Brand Research Report