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Starbuck's Learns Sign Language

11/16/2018

19 Comments

 
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by David Hagenbuch, founder of Mindful Marketing & author of Honorable Influence

If you’ve gone to a really loud concert, gotten a bad ear infection, or had a clogged ear canal, you know a little about hearing loss.  Over five percent of the world’s population has permanent “disabling hearing loss,” yet few organizations consider those consumers’ special needs.  One multinational corporation, however, has embraced this unique group of customers in a way that should make every company listen.
 
A few weeks ago, Starbuck’s opened its first Signing Store in the United States.  Located at 6th and H Street in Washington, D.C., the store first appears to be a typical Starbuck’s, but a closer look reveals a unique coffee house, specially designed for those who are deaf or hard of hearing.
 
For instance, the store features a more open layout and low-glare surfaces in order to facilitate visual communication.  Store employees, 20-25 of whom are themselves deaf or hard of hearing, are fluent in American Sign Language (ASL).  Deaf baristas wear “ASL aprons embroidered by a Deaf supplier,” while those who can hear sport “I Sign” pins.  The store also contains some high-tech advancements to ease ordering, such as “digital notepads and a console with two-way keyboards for back-and-forth typed conversations.”
 
Those adaptations sound nice, but should a global icon do so much to accommodate a relatively small number of people who tend to be scattered throughout the population?  With over 28,000 retail stores, Starbuck’s is by far the “largest coffeehouse company in the world,” as well as the third largest fast food restaurant, behind only McDonald’s and Subway.  The firm employs about 277,000 people and has annual revenues of over $24 billion.  In light of such scale, isn’t it an unnecessary distraction to design and operate a solitary store that’s so specialized?
 
First, it’s important to note that Starbuck’s Signing Store is strategically located near Gallaudet University, “a federally chartered private university for the education of the deaf and hard of hearing.”  Gallaudet enrolls over 1,100 students, and if they are like other college students, which they undoubtedly are, most probably love to drink coffee.  So, Starbuck’s has a ready-made, geographically concentrated target market, within a short walk of its store.
 
A second consideration is that a customized coffee shop is something that’s replicable.  In fact, the Washington, D.C. outlet is Starbuck’s second Signing Store.  The company opened the first one in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2016.  Perhaps there are suitable spots for similar stores in other parts of the U.S. or the world.  In American alone, there are nearly 50 residential schools for the deaf. 
 
Likewise, there may be opportunities to develop customized stores for individuals with other special needs.  For instance, there are nearly 40 schools for the blind in the U.S.  It also may be possible to tailor stores for certain fields of study, e.g., music or visual arts.

Third, Starbuck’s Signing store has produced some very positive PR for the company.  A Google search of “Starbuck’s Signing store” returns over 8 million hits, including many complimentary news pieces in major media like USA TODAY, CBS News, Fortune, and the Washington Post.  The National Association for the Deaf also has praised the company's efforts to educate and enrich the lives of its constituents and many others.
 
Fourth, and perhaps most important, the Signing Store fits squarely within Starbuck’s mission, values, and goals.  The company claims an “ongoing commitment to inclusion, accessibility and diversity,” which is broadly reflected in its mission statement: “To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time."  More specifically, the first of Starbuck’s four core values encourages “Creating a culture of warmth and belonging, where everyone is welcome.”  This value is evident in the company’s 2018 goals, which include ongoing global social responsibility that creates “meaningful impact in the communities it serves.”

Although it’s unlikely that customized stores will ever be profitable on the scale of its traditional outlets, Starbuck’s should still be able to leverage the specialized model for meaningful growth.  Moreover, with every store opened to serve disadvantaged people groups, the company builds tremendous community goodwill and gains very positive global publicity.  For all these reasons, Starbuck’s Signing store is an emblem of “Mindful Marketing.”


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19 Comments
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11/22/2018 08:23:40 pm

Starbucks is a friendly coffee shop since then, but these innovations they have been making are pretty impressive. They are trying to adjust for everyone's needs, and I am happy to see that they are making several steps to accommodate their customers' requests regardless of their disabilities. I am hoping that more coffee shops would definitely do the same thing. It's about time we become a little kinder to everyone by knowing the needs of everyone!

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Sophia Thomas
12/5/2018 02:15:11 pm

I love this article! I think it is very smart of Starbucks to not only reach out to this unique target market but also to build a good name with other people who are associated with coffee. Regardless of whether people go solely to Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts, the way in which Starbucks has offered this option attracts attention and will inherently lead others to visit Starbucks. Even more so, Starbucks has captured the true meaning of their mission. This is super important for people to not only hear it but also see it happen in real life.

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Ellen Hill
12/8/2018 07:09:31 pm

What a fascinating and interesting article! When creating a specialty store for a very specific target market, you really have to consider all details both large and small, which seems to be exactly what Starbucks has done. Their signing store has thought of everything from two way keyboards for typed conversations to low-glare surfaces so as not to inhibit the visual aspect of communication. In addition, Starbucks' strategic store placement and the way in which these new stores align with the company's values is just giving Starbucks more of an advantage over its competitors. Also, by creating Signing Stores, Starbucks is essentially serving the community, even if it seems like it is helping only a small group of people. This speaks volumes to consumers about a company, what it believes in, and what it stand for. This sort of movement that Starbucks may be starting could ultimately change business for the better. Overall I would agree, based on the given information, that this represents Mindful Marketing.

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DInah
12/10/2018 02:12:18 pm

Starbucks is doing a great thing by accommodating to their customers needs and being so intentional about it. Especially as such a well known brand they are setting an example to other food chains that will hopefully see the importance of catering to various needs of their customers. It is great to see them take action and live out their mission statement.

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Emily Shepley
12/10/2018 05:21:09 pm

I absolutely love this article! Starbucks has a great way accommodating to customers. I feel that even though it might not be very profitable to have a Starbucks shop for hard of hearing customers, it would help them and just think of how appreciative they would be. The hard of hearing have to accommodate to our lifestyle, so why can't we return the favor? Also, Starbucks is providing jobs without realizing it. I can imagine how hard it can be to find a job for the hard of hearing. Now that Starbucks is putting up shops for them, they can potentially give them jobs so they can enjoy a "normal life" just like the rest of us.

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Nicholas McMillen
12/11/2018 03:59:26 am

I had actually learned about this from a commercial Starbucks released promoting the new store focused on speaking sign language. I liked how they had a portrait directed towards sign language and the main person in it was speaking in sign language with subtitles being shown below him. This is a great thing for a big chain to make themselves more accessible to those with disabilities, it brought great PR for the company and gives people a sense of hope for what we are capable of doing in the world. Over the past year or so music festivals have been hiring sign language people to sign the lyrics for those who can't hear can still enjoy the music scene. It went very positively in the music scene so it was smart of Starbucks to get on in the opportunity and to put its location in an area where there are a fair amount of deaf people. Overall, this was a great thing for Starbucks to do.

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Colin Lloyd
12/11/2018 09:08:27 pm

I think what Starbucks is doing with the opening of this store is really an incredible move. It shows the consumers that they truly care about the customer, and it sends a message to other companies so that they hopefully follow this trend. I have never thought about how difficult it must be for deaf people to do simple things, such as order a coffee, so I'm glad someone at Starbucks thought of it and introduced this new type of idea to the world of retail. Not only does this uphold societal values by catering to disabled people, it creates stockholder value because people will be more inclined to support and buy Starbucks coffee after a great move like this.

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Courtney Dunlop
12/11/2018 11:39:30 pm

I think this is great all-around for Starbucks and the people with these special needs. It is a great business and marketing decision for Starbucks as a company because, even though it might not be as profitable as their traditional stores, it makes up for it in the positive PR it receives from the media and people in general, through word-of-mouth. Starbucks thought about the most important piece of information when creating such a tailor-made store: their target market. They accommodated them in many ways, through things such as the two-way keyboards, and made sure the store was located near a concentrated area of these people with a hearing disability, which is their target market. I love how Starbucks, being one of the largest and most successful companies in the world, is setting a precedent that hopefully many will follow. This is a great example of mindful marketing.

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Becca Isaac
12/12/2018 10:35:55 am

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this article. I agree and think that Starbucks "Learning Sign Language" campaign is a huge benefit for their PR team. I also believe that this is bringing Starbucks a whole lot of attention, and yes I have heard that all attention is good attention, but this for Starbucks is definitely bringing them positive awareness and attention.

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Nicole Radcliffe
12/12/2018 04:57:52 pm

I think this article is so uplifting! I love it that Starbucks is focusing on those who are usually at such a disadvantage. I love the idea that people can be serviced easily in this store when I imagine usually ordering a cup of coffee at a typical Starbucks is difficult. Another thing that I think a Starbucks like this has an advantage is that the deaf community would be able to congregate there. They will be not only able to talk to the barista but also other customers because they may also be deaf. I think a Starbucks that focuses on deaf people will only boost them as a company maybe not economically, but socially, as well it will also create an opportunity to form a community. Also, since Starbucks is so established they are more able to make a place like this but I hope this also serves as an example for other businesses.

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Zhuang Lin Mok
12/13/2018 11:45:47 am

Although deaf people and others with disability have always been around, changes for accessibility have taken a while to happen. I think Starbucks is doing a good job for society and their stakeholders by building up it's image it's institutional marketing and operations. I'm not sure how hard it is for deaf people to get jobs but I hope this is a way that makes it easier for them to.

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Leanne Weaver
12/13/2018 12:34:27 pm

I agree that this is mindful. I appreciate Starbuck's mission statement; this company knows how to create customer value through customer excellence, product excellence, operational excellence, and, (especially in this case,) location excellence.

It certainly creates strong loyalty with the deaf community by including a minority that often feels left out, and it's in a strategic location that's population is saturated with this target segment.

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Reed Bond
1/12/2019 03:56:00 pm

This is a genius marketing strategy from Starbucks. They were able to bring good publicity to their store, show they care about a specific group of people with disabilities, give jobs to people with that specific disability and they earned the praise of many well-honored Media companies. I agree that this was a mindful marketing strategy. By opening up this store near Gallaudet University, they were able to provide the students with a stressless way of getting a morning coffee. Also, some of the workers have a hearing or speaking disability too and working the job where their disability has no effect on their job is very helpful for them.

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Mackenzie Williams
1/14/2019 10:31:37 am

Dr. Hagenbuch was one hundred percent right with bringing this news to the forefront. I know for me I never thought about the people in the world dealing with hearing loss, but it is a growing topic. I thought well typically people who are hard of hearing tend to be of the older generation and they won’t always get out, well that’s far from true. This huge step for Starbucks and they also took this as a way to reach more people across the country. With appealing to the disabled, that touches consumer’s hearts and they are willing to buy their cup of coffee at Starbucks instead of Dunkin Donuts because Starbucks are trying to give back by opening up a store specifically for the disabled. The greatest part I believe is the fact that the employees of the store itself are deaf or hard of hearing. This makes the costumer have a connection with the store clerk to increase sales. I think that Starbucks was right on with their depiction of reaching the disabled in this way because, they have so much revenue coming into their system that they might as well take that some and reach a section of people and gain positive publicity from it. This may be a platform to see other chains of restaurants take into consideration of the small sections of people who have a special need to reach more people. I would have to agree with Dr. Hagenbuch with the statement he said towards the end of the blog, Starbuck’s signing store is an emblem of “Mindful Marketing.”

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Ian Tan
1/29/2019 09:09:51 pm

It seems to me that Starbucks has made a very significant progressive step in marketing, applying place strategies, at a very low cost. Even though the deaf and other disabled communities are such an outnumbered community compared to the rest of society, it's easy to be in proximity with a lot of them as long as Starbucks strategically locates a hub where they gather and situates a branch next to that. There aren't many of these hubs so Starbucks isn't exerting too much resources to cater for this small consumer group. The thoughtful arrangement of atmosphere to form a comfortable space for these people is also a good use of Place. Overall, the upholding of Starbuck's mission for the deaf, whose needs are usually overlooked in marketing and service, wins it more customer support and respect. It registers as mindful on the mindful meter.

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Avalon Eickhoff
2/25/2019 06:31:01 pm

Starbucks has really nailed this marketing strategy. By doing this, Starbucks has created more revenue from forming a new target market. Having individual stores like this will produce better results than if they implemented the idea in its regular stores. I am happy to hear that Starbucks is making an effort to accommodate all of its customers. It is awesome to see that Starbucks is following through with its mission statement. There are so many instances where companies put out a mission statement, but they do not run their company accordingly. This gives Starbucks an immense reputation boost. However, I wonder if this good press will last. Or if other companies will follow in Starbuck's footsteps.

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Andrea Martinez
3/16/2019 06:23:05 pm

Starbuck's Signing coffee shop is clearly a great example of mindful marketing. The company is targeting a market that other coffee stores don't target, perhaps because it is a small market that is spread out in different locations, as mentioned in this blog. I feel great admiration for Starbucks because this new store is strongly connected to the company's vision and mission. They are truly committed to diversity and inclusion. This helps me realize that Starbucks is not only looking to gain profit, but also to make an impact to different communities. Starbucks has shown that they care for its customers and also for potential customers. The brand has gained the respect from many, which has a great impact on its brand image.

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Yasmin Flores
3/18/2019 01:15:11 am

I think that Starbuck's is doing a fantastic job in diversifying their target customer group. Although there are some that do not think that targeting a small target group is profitable, I believe that this investment will increase the success of Starbuck's. The reason as to why I say this is because targeting deaf customers is rarely heard of and is definitely an overlooked customer group by many companies. If Starbucks' is the only company investing so much money into including deaf customers, then they will have a huge advantage over other companies who are not reaching this target group. I like how you mentioned that Starbucks's actions are inline with their company's core values because it shows their customers that they are true to their word and can be trusted.

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Jingwen Duan
12/12/2019 11:10:32 am

Starbucks is making these store unique coffee houses, specially designed for those who are deaf or hard of hearing. Starbucks is doing great things to the community and service these group of people, even though this is a very small group of people. They have really good target market, because they open these stores near those schools that for who are deaf or hard of hearing. So Starbucks is making money and at the same time serving the society.

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