January of this year was received by a flurry of comments regarding the revamped Starbucks' logo. Months have passed, this move didn't really take a toll on a worldwide scale. Although I am more of a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf person than Starbucks, I couldn't avoid meeting some of my friends at Starbucks especially that hay have outlets at every nook of the metropolis. Yes, Starbucks for me is just like a Jollibee of the coffee shops.
The design trend is leaning towards a minimalist mold, shredding all the unnecessary elements. Or that is what they(Starbucks marketing/brand management) thought. More than just a redesign, this is their bold attempt of saying that they have reached such heights of ubiquity globally that their logo is enough for people to recognize them, a lot like what Nike and Apple accomplished.
It may be good branding move if they have, in the first place, chosen a right logo. But how do you explain a siren(or was it a mermaid?) slapped into a coffee cup. It may represent an irresistible and seductive coffee quality but for a regular coffee drinker, it doesn't mean anything but a tuna company or a pearl shop.
Starbucks has undergone lots of product diversity as with branding absurdity. Remember that they have launched Starbucks Via last quarter of last year? An instant coffee that is supposed to taste like freshly brewed coffee? Starbucks is poised to reposition the franchise towards the consumables besides coffee. And they are aiming at new channels of distribution too, supermarkets, online sales, mobile stores, carts, etc.
Yet this may also suggest that people are buying Starbucks coffee not because of the taste and quality but because of their brand, as there are several better premium coffee out there, thus they will have to make a huge fuss about a redesign of the logo. More than just a marketing DNA, this has become a juridical personhood, a statement of growth. Hopefully for the better.
Thank you Honey for modeling. Have a happy trip in the US.
