Value: [rating=4]
Our commentary: Thanks to an update added yesterday to the Starbucks Card Facebook application, the brand's fans can now gift Starbucks via Facebook. Importantly, the Facebook Card app was dreamed up by 'Suz01' in March 2008 in their community site, 'My Starbucks Idea' (similar to Dell's Ideastorm) - now the smart guys at Starbucks have enhanced that idea with a "Give a Gift" feature, users in the U.S. and Canada can use the application to load between $5 and $500 to a friend"€™s registered Starbucks Card.
To "€œGive a Gift,"€ app users are walked through a six-step process where they select a friend, specify an amount, choose a theme, pen a personal note, pay for the gift and then can share their generosity via status update with the rest of their Facebook friends
Marketing implications: "€œIt"€™s great to bring another customer-inspired idea to life that enhances the customer experience in our coffee houses and within our digital communities.
The new "€˜Give a Gift"€™ feature on the Starbucks Card App provides a quick, fun gifting solution for our customers who want to surprise a friend on any occasion,"€ says Chris Bruzzo, Starbucks"€™s vice president for brand, content and online.
Starbucks has a huge presence on Facebook with more than 15 million fans - so it's not hard to see why developing features for that community specifically isa good idea . The application will surely satisfy brand fans who requested the feature, but also inspire more Starbucks Cards transactions due to its simplicity and exposure. And, it's not hard to see where other brands could trial similar ideas.
Have you seen more applications and features like this across social media?
Recommended link:Buy Your Friends Starbucks On Facebook
By Danyl Bosomworth
Dan helped to co-found Smart Insights in 2010 and acted as Marketing Director until leaving in November 2014 to focus on his other role as Managing Director of First 10 Digital. His experience spans brand development and digital marketing, with roles both agency and client side for nearly 20 years. Creative, passionate and focussed, his goal is on commercial success whilst increasing brand equity through effective integration and remembering that marketing is about real people. Dan's interests and recent experience span digital strategy, social media, and eCRM. You can learn more about Dan's background here Linked In.
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