Located on 26 Avenue de l'Opera in Paris, a cafe decorated with opulent gold detailing and chandeliers comes complete with free wifi, large frappuccinos, and a coffee bar tended to by waiters in green aprons. This establishment is no traditional French cafe but instead Starbucks, a hegemon of American culture, attempting to make its own name in one of the most competitive cafe markets in the world. Senior Elon University Honors Fellow Anelisa Holder combined her academic interests of French and strategic communications to examine the marketing methods of the iconic American chain and understand French perceptions of the brand. She found that while the traditional cafe will always hold an important cultural aspect to France, the implementation of Starbucks allows a new cafe experience that appeals to tourists and natives alike. A study published by the British Food Journal in 2019 found Starbucks to be the most hated brand in France based on a survey of 325 French business school students who were asked to name their least favorite brands. The root of the animosity comes from a disdain toward the country of origin and the power the large corporation could ultimately possess. However, Starbucks has held a presence in France since 2004 and expanded to open 205 shops across the country. This makes France the European country with the third most locations. Her methodology worked in two parts. During her time abroad in France, she observed four different Starbucks locations in Montpellier and Paris noting the interactions and design of the establishments while conducting 15 interviews and an analysis of the website. Holder’s coding method observed the French branch of Starbucks’ website via questions she compiled in a spreadsheet such as which services were advertised and what she believed the target audience to be. She noted and analyzed the advertising choices of each page and recorded her findings. “I would say what stood out is the fact that the press page was in English and the fact that there were no stories about France,” Holder said. “Their website was just kind of chunky. … I learned that instead of focusing on the website, we really were focusing on the in-store experience.” While Starbucks has established its presence in the U.S. as a quick-to-go coffee option with mobile ordering and paper cups, it recognized that the American model of marketing was not a one size fits all strategy. Holder’s research finds its context in a theoretical framework called the economic circuit of culture, a theory developed by her mentor and dean of Elon’s School of Communications, Kenn Gaither. “The cultural economic model, which is based on the circuit of culture, gave her an idea of what to look at,” Gaither said. “One of the concepts we talked about in her case with Starbucks was that when American brands go to other countries before they even start their business, there's a perception of them because they are an American brand.” Gaither mentioned the difficult balance that must be struck between adapting to a different country’s culture while keeping the brand’s integrity and mission. Starbucks finds balance through the dining atmosphere it creates. “At the Starbucks locations I visited, they offered me a tray and a porcelain plate to have my food on which is not something I've seen in the U.S.,” Holder said. “It’s really conducive to the French consumers' preference for dining being a more formal and ritualistic experience.” For the interview portion of her research, Holder divided her groups into Starbucks customers and non-customers in order to better understand the tastes of different French coffee drinkers. “If you really wanted to French cafe you go to an actual French coffee place,” a Starbucks-supporting interviewee told Holder. Holder mentioned that young French people are drawn to the American aspects of Starbucks such as the options for different types of drinks and the environment it provides for young professionals. “Not many people talked about the quality of products. It was more about the ambience of it,” she said. Many traditional cafes foster a social environment that disapproves of laptops and a rushed environment. While Starbucks offers an alternative, there are many who prefer the slow-paced nature of French cafes. “French culture is sitting on the terrace drinking coffee, talking with the waiter, talking with someone for 10 minutes, drinking multiple coffees,” a member of the traditional French cafe population said. “It's not common for people to talk with the people who are serving them at Starbucks as it's more of a system where you go up to the counter. … but in other traditional French cafes people form a personal connection with the waiter and get to know the local cafe owner.” Holder conducted all of her interviews in the French language to eliminate any language barriers that could have arisen. “I think Anelisa is the first student I've ever worked with who did her research in another language,” Gaither said. Her research offers a capstone to her honors experience as her Elon career draws to a close. Reilly Galloway, a first-year Honors Fellow, has noticed the support and mentorship available to those conducting undergraduate research even in the beginning stages. “The honors thesis is typically related to your major and it’s research on something that you are passionate about and something that you plan to do in the future,” first-year Honors Fellow Reilly Galloway said. “While I am still in the beginning stages of my proposal, there are a lot of people who are willing to talk to you and help you.” Holder has already presented her research at Elon University’s Spring Undergraduate Research Forum and the National Conference on Undergraduate Research as part of her honors requirement to defend her thesis. Her research will also be published through the Elon Library.