BENGALURU: "Nobody has done a better job in brand building than Karnataka. The tourism ministry always goes to trade shows around the world to showcase the splendour of the state," said Starbucks co-founder Zev Siegl.
Siegl was addressing a session on 'How can India lead the innovation revolution' at the Global Investors Meet (GIM) here on Friday.
When Prashanth Prakash, Partner, Accel Partners, asked Siegl about brand building, he said the best way to understand the audience is by doing focus groups. He added that Karnataka has done a better job in doing so.
Starbucks was started in 1971, a time when computers did not exist. He advised entrepreneurs to be aware of the brand from the customer's perspective.
"We wanted to make Starbucks an interesting experience where you could source good quality coffee. It was very fun to just go to our stores and talk about coffee. It has only gotten better with brand management," he said.
On Thursday, Siegl visited Bengaluru's iconic restaurant Vidyarthi Bhavan and tasted their famous masala dosa and filter coffee.
Vidyarthi Bhavan then took to Instagram to share his note that said, "It is an honour to enjoy your famous food, coffee and warm welcome. I will take this wonderful experience with me back to Seattle."