how starbucks can fix their squatter “problem”

I’ll admit it. I’m a Starbucks squatter. My agency is based in D.C., and I work in Atlanta. That means a full day working from home, and, well, that can get really tedious. No offense to my co-worker, a two-year-old Scottish Terrier, but he’s not much for water cooler conversations. He mainly sleeps. That, and he’s a dog.

To break up my day without losing productivity, I head down to the local Starbucks. There, I’ll usually get an iced coffee or green tea, and work for three to four hours at whatever table or seat I can find. And, I always tip the baristas. I consider that my “rent” for squatting in their establishment.

When I heard that Starbucks was cracking down on fellow squatters, a pang of panic ran through my spine. If I lost my Starbucks, I’d be a broken man. That’s a bit overdramatic, but if they began covering outlets to block power a precious source of power for my MacBook, or cutting off Internet connections after 30 minutes…I would be forced to find a new spot for WiFi.

I’m a proud, Gold Card carrying member of the Starbucks nation. I didn’t want to abandon my home-away-from-home office.

However, I do recognize the problem that squatters present for any sort of establishment that relies on high turnover for profit. And, then you have the jack wagons that give us squatters a bad rap, who plop down at the biggest table and occupy more than their fair share of the retail space. Me? I sit at the “carpool” table, where five+ people can squeeze in, even with gear.

That’s when it hit me.

Starbucks needs to move coffee. People need places to work. It doesn’t matter if those same people who are buying coffee over, and over again, or new customers. All that matters is that the cash register rings.

Instead of capping WiFi connection times, or blocking access to power outlets (some poor souls have batteries that won’t even last the 30 min. of which they have access to the internet), Starbucks could provide a code on receipts for internet access. At the end of that time period (one, or two hours would be optimal), customers would have to purchase a new item for additional access.

For people like me, who Starbucks is a necessity (for mental health reasons), I’d be more than happy to drop the $4 to $5 that I would pay for two drinks if it meant I could work as long as I wanted.

Of course, my preference is too keep the status quo…but, we’re not living in a utopia here.

Hey, Starbucks…don’t run-off your most loyal customers, even if they can be a pain in the ass sometimes. Leave the games and acrimony for the folks in D.C., and let’s come up with a relief plan that’s bi-partisan, or whatever.

If you want to use this plan, you know where to find me: Starbucks, Sandy Springs.

the brand experience

Brands, beware. Consumers are learning. Thanks to the rise of the digital age, an exponentially increasing level of data is available to consumers. As a result, they are more knowledgeable about their purchase and demand more from brands than ever before. The digital age has tipped the market in favor of consumers.

This has created a consumer culture based around “brand experience,” especially for younger consumers more accustomed to a full, “360-degree” brand package. One company that has mastered the art of the brand experience is coffee titan Starbucks, who less than five years ago was trying to get a hold on falling stock prices and nationwide store closures. Much of the success for Starbucks’ brand rejuvenation can be credited to Chief Marketing Officer Annie Young-Scrivner. Young-Scrivner, who joined Starbucks in September 2009, retooled the company’s marketing efforts to align the brand with its once youthful and innovative image.

"If there was knock on Starbucks, it's that they lost their cool factor,” Stifel Nicolaus, Vice President and analyst Steve West recently told DMNews. "What I have seen them do a lot more of is really connect with the consumer through social media and with loyalty cards.” West believes by reaching out to what he calls the “Apple or the Facebook digital generation,” Starbucks will be able to recapture its mojo.

In December 2009, Starbucks launched their “My Starbucks Rewards” program and enabled customers to “reload” their cards online. The rewards program is also reinforced with postal and email marketing announcements. In May 2010, Starbucks launched the sleek and highly interactive frappuccino.com in coordination with the “Frappuccino Happy Hour” promotion. In July 2010, they began hosting free WiFi connections. And, in January of this year, Starbucks announced a mobile payment system where customers could make in-store purchases using applications on select smartphones.

Each one of these programs has a unique benefit to the brand. The rewards program creates loyalty. The multi-channel marketing generates sales. The interactive project site launched a new product. The free WiFi improves consumer relations. The mobile payment system increases the speed of transactions. Yet, all of these programs feed into the Starbucks brand experience, one that has been masterfully re-crafted to reflect the innovative, youthful brand that many thought Starbucks had lost in its meteoric growth.

Starbucks is coffee, but its brand is more than that. It’s the Starbucks experience. It’s what sets it apart from other coffee chains, and why people are willing to pay $4.00 for a drip coffee. And, the brand saw what happened when it forgot what made it Starbucks.

Other brands should look to Starbucks as a model for how every detail of its brand plays into a larger concept of the brand experience. Starbucks wanted to portray a savvy image and regain the “cool” factor, so it aligned its brand signals to reflect this image. For brands that want to project a particular idea, they should look to every detail to ensure they are in line with promoting that idea. Otherwise, the brand experience will be inconsistent and flawed and consumers will take notice.

For example, if a brand wanted to project an image of “quality,” it will ensure that not only is its manufacturing process designed to maximize durability, but that it has a customer service department that quickly resolves any issue relating to defects or under-performance. Every detail of the brand should be aligned to reinforce the total brand experience of “quality.” This will create brand loyalty among existing customers, and it will generate positive feedback in social media and online reviews, which can lead to new customers.

Today’s consumers love to share their interactions with brands. It’s why sites like Angie’s List have become so popular. And, it’s why any Google Map search yields results for businesses with consumer reviews pulled from sources like Yelp, Zagat, and Yahoo. If consumers are talking — and, they most definitely are — it’s important that they only have good things to say about your brand. That’s why the total brand experience is so crucial.

final thought on starbucks logo redesign

At the center of my rejection of Starbucks' logo change is the idea that the logo is ubiquitous enough to be a standalone identity. Were I to agree with Starbucks that they have worldwide brand identity, I would say, "Bravo. Job well done."

But, I think they're vastly overestimating how recognizable their logo actually is.

/end

who Is starbucks forgetting?

I feel like I may be belaboring the Starbucks logo issue a little (first three blog posts starting out are all dedicated to it), but it's such a dopey move...I...I just can't get it all out of my system in a single post.

Starbucks is the paradigm of what happens when you let hubris drive your marketing rather than data, or, heck, plain reason.

Starbucks decided its brand awareness, particularly its logo, was so pervasive in modern society that it could remove its name and product off the logo...letting the image alone serve as its brand identity.

Let's see who Starbucks completely forgot about in this move:

- People who have never heard of Starbucks.
- People who have heard of Starbucks, but never grabbed a cup.
- People who may have tried Starbucks, but aren't regular patrons.
- Patrons who are regulars, but never paid that much attention to the logo.

Who does Starbucks not forget about?

- People categorically obsessed with Starbucks (who probably like the new logo).

And, for all those tired people driving at night on the Interstate? They're probably going to Dunkin' Donuts because what the hell does a big green siren/mermaid tell me about that business? Nothing.

(posted from Starbucks)

the evolution of starbucks' brand identity

Hat tip to AdFreak via Twitter.

starbucks' logo wtf

Wendesday, Starbucks (NYSE: SBUX) released a new logo that strips the "Starbucks Coffee" copy off their iconic design.

"This new evolution of the logo does two things that are very important," says Starbucks CEO Howard Schulzt via a video posted to the company's website. "It embraces and respects our heritage and at the same time evolves us to a point where we feel it's more suitable to the future."

In the video announcement, Schultz alluded to Starbucks' intention to get into different markets. The new design will supposedly give the company more flexibility in branding, all the while maintaining its brand of being "the world's leading purveyor of the highest-quality coffee."

Good luck with that, Schultzy.

Yes, Starbucks is huge. And, yes, Starbucks has a very high brand recognition when the name is verbalized or written.

However, is the visual cue as potent? I'm saying no.

Only but the most coffee-crazed of consumers can really recall what the Starbucks logo looks like. It took me at least a year or two of drinking Starbucks coffee to really pick up that the logo featured a "siren." By removing the "Starbucks Coffee" lettering, Starbucks is essentially killing the most identifiable portion of its brand.

This is supposed to help them in expanding markets?

The Starbucks logo is iconic, but not easily recalled. And, recall will be even worse among new customers without the lettering.

However, that may be the least of Starbucks' worries.

This news about Starbucks wanting to line-extend itself into other markets should have investors worried. Their brand is about to roast.

Starbucks is coffee. Coffee, and coffee only. That is the word they own in consumers minds. By trying to expand beyond coffee, Starbucks is going to severely dilute the potency of their brand.

So, let's get this straight...

Starbucks unnecessarily changes their logo. Adding to that, they strip it of the strongest brand identity trait: the name and product. And, to make matters worse, it sounds like they're about to dilute their brand by line-extending themselves into other markets?

Sounds like a triple venti of branding fail to me.