This research project investigated the social, cultural, and environmental communication and branding strategies of Starbucks Corporation, to understand why it is one of the leading and well-known coffee companies in today’s market.

Starbucks has, so far successfully, focused on creating a connection between customers and the brand through in-store experiences and interactions with employees: Starbucks’s baristas don’t just serve coffee, they are trained brand ambassadors. (Champagne and Iezzi, 2014).

By focusing on statistical data from surveying caffeine enthusiasts, personal interviews of coffee drinkers, and research from primary and secondary sources about how Starbucks has risen in popularity, this project has shown how Starbucks’ branding strategies present the company as, not only a luxury coffeehouse, but a priority choice for consumers as well.

This project utilized the AIDA model to show how branding strategies of Starbucks convert and retain customers, based on the cognitive stages of consumer purchasing habits. The AIDA model focuses on tracing the customer journey through Awareness, Interest, Desire and Action. (Hanlon, 2023). This model aided in our research for understanding Starbucks’ consumer habits. It allowed us to figure out the who, what, when, where, why, and how when it came to Starbucks’ success.

The target demographic was coffee-drinking enthusiasts and students aged at 18-25 and working professionals aged at 26-45. With the findings from our results, it is clear that Starbucks’ communication and branding are strategically developed, organized, and implemented in order to remain a top choice among consumers over other competitor coffee companies in today’s market.