“The Starbucks Brandscape and Consumers’ (Anticorporate) Experiences of Glocalization” by Anna Petrocco

Arsel, Zeynep, & Thompson, Craig J. (2004). The Starbucks Brandscape and Consumers’ (Anticorporate) Experiences of Glocalization. Journal of Consumer Research, 31, 631-642.

This article takes a look at how Starbucks’ dominance within the coffee industry has changed coffee culture today, and how this has been adapted both locally and globally. A study was conducted to interview 35 people over a two year period on their background and personal experiences with coffee shops both globally and locally. The term urban flaneur is introduced to describe the general populous of coffee consumers who simply choose to drink coffee at local coffee shops to enjoy the general contact with people, although this contact is typically passive. Overall, the articles findings conclude that the Starbucks brandscape adds to current brand meanings which generate consumer identities, social networks, and marketplace cultures, and also how these traits can be widely contested by consumers.