In celebration of World PR Day 2025, EloQ Communications is pleased to reshare this article as a way to promote a spirit of learning and passion for the profession, particularly from the next generation, where fresh perspectives meet real-world experiences in a practice-oriented academic environment. The following piece presents a student’s perspective from the class of Dr. Clāra Ly-Le, Managing Director of EloQ Communications and university lecturer.

Starbucks: The Art of Building Brand Loyalty from the Heart of Its Employees

In today’s saturated media landscape, where massive budgets are poured into flashy ad campaigns, Starbucks quietly tells a different brand story  not through polished TVCs, but through sincere, everyday actions of its employees. The viral story of a spilled matcha at a Starbucks store, shared widely on Threads, was no random incident; it was a living case study in non-traditional communications, built on trust and frontline empowerment.

#FNBCaseStudy: The Spilled Matcha and a Lesson in Customer Experience

The story, originally posted by the user kasline00 on Threads, has since become a textbook example of excellent customer service. A seemingly minor accident – a spilled cup of matcha – became a golden opportunity for Starbucks to reinforce its brand promise:

• The incident: A customer accidentally spilled their matcha.
• Staff response: The staff not only quickly cleaned the mess but also reassured the customer with a calm “It’s okay.” When the customer came to reorder and offered to pay, the barista immediately offered a free replacement, no questions asked.
• Media impact: The post garnered over 1,100 positive interactions and sparked lively discussions, all without a single dollar spent on advertising.

Many may consider giving away a free drink as routine. What sets Starbucks apart is how the action was executed, turning a service recovery moment into a standout customer experience.

From a Spilled Drink to a Strong Brand Message

This incident is a textbook case of earned media, organic media coverage gained through positive customer experience. When a brand creates moments worth remembering, customers become storytellers, voluntarily spreading the message. Starbucks doesn’t need to buy media; it creates experiences that people are eager to talk about.

It’s a living example of a simple yet powerful philosophy: kindness and empathy travel further than any scripted advertisement.

Empowerment: The Golden Key to Outstanding Customer Experience

What truly set this story apart wasn’t just the free drink, it was the immediacy and autonomy behind it. The employee had the authority to make that call, without needing managerial approval or following rigid procedures. This is the essence of empowerment in service, a foundational principle in customer experience management.

In today’s service economy, customers aren’t just buying products,  they’re buying emotional satisfaction and experiences. Starbucks understands that “Customers may forget what you said or gave them, but they’ll remember how you made them feel.” Employees are trained not just to make coffee, but to become brand storytellers through empathy-driven interactions.

Instant, heartfelt responses born from understanding and trust, make all the difference.

Dissecting Two Crucial Touchpoints in the Starbucks Experience

The story on Threads reveals two crucial customer journey touchpoints that reflect Starbucks’ sophisticated customer experience strategy:

💠 Touchpoint 1: Reassurance – Beyond Cleanup

While cleaning up a spill is standard, the emotional comfort provided  “It’s okay” transformed the interaction. This is a classic example of emotional buffering,  a technique that softens the psychological impact of a negative event and builds rapport (Parasuraman et al., 1988). It left a lasting impression, far beyond the expected response.

💠 Touchpoint 2: Proactive Service – When Brand Lives in Employee Actions

The most remarkable moment came when the cashier offered a new matcha immediately, without hesitation, even when the customer offered to pay. This reflects Starbucks’ embedded employee empowerment model, producing three distinct levels of customer satisfaction:

• 🔺 Level 1 – Basic: Employee charges the customer for a new drink.
• 🔺 Level 2 – Satisfactory: Employee offers a free drink but only after checking with a manager.
• 🔺 Level 3 – Exceptional: Employee makes the decision instantly on their own.

Starbucks consistently delivers Level 3 experiences, empowering even entry-level staff to act swiftly and empathetically. Employees are trusted with autonomy to resolve issues or spark delight, delivering speed, convenience and maximum satisfaction (Bowen & Lawler, 1992).

Zooming Out with the RACE Framework: The Power of “Engage”

In modern marketing, the RACE model (Reach, Act, Convert, Engage) is widely applied. While “Reach” is about initial exposure, “Act” drives first engagement, and “Convert” achieves the sale, “Engage” is where Starbucks excels.

Engagement is more than retention, it’s about building long-term emotional connection and brand loyalty (Chaffey & Ellis-Chadwick, 2019). Starbucks fosters this through:

• Personalized, emotional interactions: The “reassure and replace” response wasn’t scripted, it was human. This kind of responsiveness creates emotional resonance that a standard transaction never could.
• Value beyond product: People don’t just come for coffee, they come for the atmosphere, respect and care. The free matcha wasn’t just a drink; it carried kindness, emotion and trust, strengthening the brand relationship (Grönroos, 2007).
• Turning customers into brand advocates: When a customer voluntarily shares a positive experience, they become part of the “Engage” strategy, amplifying earned media in the most credible way possible (Mangold & Faulds, 2009).

These refined “Engage” touchpoints have helped Starbucks build a community of loyal customers eager to defend and promote the brand.

When Brand Is Behavior, Not Words

Starbucks exemplifies brand communications through behavior. Rather than relying on big-budget ads to claim customer-centricity, the brand proves it, organically, silently and effectively through daily interactions.

• Internal trust: Employees are empowered to serve in the customer’s best interest  even when it defies the manual (Grönroos, 2007).
• Authentic storytelling: The brand doesn’t talk about values, it enacts them through its frontline.
• Support systems: Employees are equipped with skills, confidence and authority to act compassionately including soft skills training and emotional intelligence.

It’s no exaggeration to call Starbucks one of the world’s leading brands in customer experience. Ultimately, brand communications aren’t built on slogans, they’re built on behavior.

“A spilled cup of matcha, a well-timed smile, a split-second decision; together, they form a brand philosophy. Starbucks doesn’t just sell coffee. It sells kindness, carried by empowered employees, no advertising required.”

Two Reflection Questions

1. In service industries where processes are tightly controlled, do you have the courage to empower frontline staff to make emotional decisions in favor of customers?
2. If customer experience is the lifeblood of your brand, are you investing more in polished ad content or in building an internal culture of service excellence?

References

• Bowen, D. E., & Lawler, E. E. (1992). The empowerment of service employees: A contingency approach. The Academy of Management Review, 17(2), 317–342. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1992.4281987
• Chaffey, D., & Ellis-Chadwick, F. (2019). Digital marketing: Strategy, implementation and practice (7th ed.). Pearson Education.
• Grönroos, C. (2007). Service management and marketing: Customer management in service competition (3rd ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
• Mangold, W. G., & Faulds, D. J. (2009). Social media: The new hybrid element of the promotion mix. Business Horizons, 52(4), 357–365. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2009.03.004
• Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A., & Berry, L. L. (1988). SERVQUAL: A multi-item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality. Journal of Retailing, 64(1), 12–40.

Source: Brands Vietnam