Interviewed recently in his office in Seattle, Howard Schultz was asked by a FT journalist why he came back as Chief Executive of Starbucks.

“The reason is love….” he said. ”I love this company. I love its 180,000 people. I feel a responsibility to them and to the shareholder base”. This reminded me of a definition of  a brand I whole-heartedly endorse and suggests one more stakeholder group Howard has a responsibility towards.

The definition is that, “a brand is not just a promise it’s a responsibility”, and the extra stakeholder group is us, his Starbucks customers.

Mr Schultz clearly recognises this and has been leading the fight against (to use his words) the “commiditisation” of the Starbucks brand experience. Recent results show that he seems to be winning but he clearly is a man who takes responsibilities seriously as he also noted, “we can’t allow mediocrity to creep back into the business”.   

If he keeps his word, then I promise I’ll keep buying my Grande Cappuccinos from them!

1. “Marketing is the management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably.” (Chartered Institute of Marketing)

2. “The purpose of marketing is to earn profit by adding the maximum value at minimum cost.” (Colin Milner)

3. “Marketing is an organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating, and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders.” (American Marketing Association)

4. “Marketing is getting someone who has a need to know, like and trust you.” (Jon Jantsch)

5. “Marketing is the art and science of chossing target markets and building profitable relationships with them; it’s the art of demand management.” (Philip Kotler)

Borrowed with pride from all over the place.

A long time ago someone told me the definition of marketing was “meeting consumers’ needs profitably” and having always thought it a good definition, I wondered if the structure would work in creating definitions for sales and branding too and whether once complete, the three definitions would help differentiate between the disciplines. See what you think…

SALES – Retailing what you can make or source profitably

MARKETING – Meeting consumers’ needs profitably

BRANDING – Identifying and marketing your vision and values profitably