Starbucks has decided to modify aspects of its visual identity (name / logo) and in-store brand experience. The name Starbuck’s Coffee has been dropped to leave the current logo of a siren (errr, that’s just a mermaid to you and me). The famous Starbucks mugs are to be replaced by bone China no less. Starbucks made these changes because Starbucks it wants to expand its brand’s presence in groceries (where it already sells tea and ice creams) whilst responding to increasingly sophisticated coffee consumers and stiff high street competition.

Wavelength’s view? From a visual side this branding heavy weight may have taken three steps one once. Removing the name, the word coffee and the logo. Bad move. If the brand wants to spread its brand wings beyond coffee removing the word “coffee” from the name / logo makes sense. Not many people say I’ll have a Starbuck’s coffee now. The word coffee is redundant and in Starbuck’s case is strategically restrictive.

Two issues are of note……

First, why remove the name Starbucks? The brand equity surrounding this name is huge ($3,339m according to Interbrand’s 2010 survey). Talk about shooting yourself in the foot.

Second, when you look at the logo can you honestly say that you ever paid any attention to it? Probably not. Closer inspection of the logo begs the question “what does it mean?” Strong logos are metaphors for meaning. They convey a concept, promise or deeper meaning and ‘work’ for the brand in this way. Citi bank and the umbrella indicating protection is a classic example. I do wander what the Starbuck’s Siren is intended to signify. Now the text has gone the logo will have to work harder to convey the brand concept. Much harder. We wonder if it works at all. Starbucks should have phased out the word ‘coffee’, established the brand and its name in new markets using its current visual identity. It is debatable if the name Starbucks should ever be phased out given its equity. It if is this still leaves the problem of a logo which appears to have very little metaphorical meaning. It leaves me thinking. What’s the brand concept and how does this logo convey that. Answer. Don’t know.

However, it’s not all doom and gloom. Starbuck’s clearly understands the role of other tangible cues as a part of delivering its brand experience. This is why it’s phasing out the mugs. Yes, they may remove themselves from that homely feel so cleverly created by the sofas, papers and scrumptious cakes. If they want to go slightly up market I suspect similarly conspicuous changes will happen in their outlets. Modifications to art, menu and music may all be examples of how the brand experience is taken up market.

Final comment. The re-appointed Starbuck’s CEO, Donald Shultz says this is a “meaningful update”. I just wonder if it’s an exercise in explicit management control.
Lets watch this space and hope Starbuck’s isn’t another Gap waiting to happen. It may mean the Starbucks mugs can still be found elsewhere.