What do you think of the new Starbucks logo? If you drink coffee at all you probably have an opinion about it. It’s gone so far as to have some groups (such as the Christian group called “The Resistance”) to boycott Starbucks because of their new, “more revealing” logo. And if you don’t know what I’m talking about, well, that’s okay. I know everyone didn’t even know what Starbucks’ current logo looks liked until they loaded this post. But the fact is Starbucks‘ logo is one of the most recognized logos in popular culture right now. It’s iconic mermaid, green color, and round shape carry a lot of meaning to a whole lot of people. So why, you might wonder, would they change from what they currently have, to this…
Well, first off, as Buzzwatch reports, it’s not a permanent change. It’s all part of a marketing plan. But that doesn’t answer the question… why would they change it at all? Isn’t it dangerous to change your brand identity? Especially on the “whim” of a marketing campaign? I doubt McDonald’s would ever change their golden arch “M” to a brown serif-font M with grainy edges. While it’s true that it’s not a good idea for 99.9% of companies in 99.9% of situations, I believe this was, and is, a great move by Starbucks corporate.
You may or may not know about Starbucks having to close down 100 under performing stores in the US. You may or may not also know of the “buzz” and “rumors” that Starbucks is slipping in quality and sales on a whole. While I won’t voice my own opinion on the quality of Starbucks‘ coffee (suffice it to say I go there a few times a week on average) I will say that McDonald’s and even Dunkin Donuts are giving Starbucks a run for their money. It’s because of all this, rumors and truth, that I think the move to change their logo, even for a short time, is a good one.
Even back in 1999 Starbucks had the pop-culture reputation of being a corporate giant. Something that their clean, crisp, sanitized logo only helped promote. Whether you like it or not you have to agree that this “new logo” changes your sensory perception of the company. They have essentially (and successfully I believe) taken their “monster corporation” status back down to a neighborhood coffee shop. They’ve put the focus not only back on the coffee and the roasting of the coffee, but on you as a customer. Embracing you again with warmth and comfort.
We’ll see how long the change lasts, and what all becomes of it. I doubt any group’s boycotts will make much of a dent in their sales. And I don’t think even those who just don’t like it because of “change” will stop buying their coffee. But I do think that they will gather those back who were beginning to be on the “fringe”. Those who were starting to slowly seep away are going to have a reinforcement of the Starbucks brand in their minds… all from a new brand image that isn’t new.
