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Tribal Knowledge
Book

Tribal Knowledge

Lessons Learned from Working Inside Starbucks

John Moore
Kaplan Publishing, 2006

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Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Applicable

Recommendation

John Moore compiles the lessons he learned in his marketing career, including eight years with Starbucks, into this little book. Each of its 47 very brief, breezy chapters provides a single, useful concept. Maybe all that caffeine triggered Moore's laser-like focus and brevity. The central idea is that your marketing works best when it is people-based and authentic. Your employees will pitch in with promotional efforts, too, if they see you and the company as genuine. If you show them that the company meets its commitments in everything it does, that will give them confidence that the company will fulfill its promises to them. Your customers will absorb that assurance and solidity from your employees, and everyone will benefit. This isn’t rocket science; some of the points seem a bit puffed up to make a book of more than 200 small pages. However, getAbstract finds the book’s core lessons worthwhile – like a latte, this small cupful is short and light, with a shot of energy.

Take-Aways

  • Starbucks’ marketing has relied on “high-touch” customer relations – it emphasizes personal contact.
  • Starbucks has accomplished more by selling the “benefit of the benefit” – the experience or emotion associated with its products – than by advertising.
  • Like Starbucks, try to capitalize on your company’s knowledge and methods, even though much of this information will not be recorded.

About the Author

John Moore operates a marketing firm and speaks frequently at companies, conferences and colleges. He was actively involved in marketing at Starbucks and at a major natural foods grocery chain.

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