Starbucks Rebrands Seattle’s Best

By: Brent Pleasant, Patricia Moon, Brittany Risser

Fresh Image Old Logo New Logo

Old Tagline New Tagline“Smooth Roasting Since 1970” “Great Coffee Everywhere”

Why the Change?

• Wants to grow into billion dollar business– Expand to fast food channels, convenience stores,

and vending machines• Wants to create an emotional

brand for consumers– New universal sign for good coffee

• Create a global identity• Starbucks has saturated market– New product to gain market share in other venues

Reaction to New Logo

• Too generic– Looks more appropriate for a blood

donation center• 68% of 2000 people thought Starbucks should

“try again”• “Clean” and “modern” lines does not say coffee– Old logo had vintage feel, like from mom-and-pop

• Too similar to corporate letterhead of:Lukoil

Vodafone

Rebranding Failures

• PepsiCo redesigned Tropicana packaging– Looked too much like

store brand– Original symbol evoked fresh taste

• McDonald’s Arch Deluxe– “Burger with a grown up taste”– Image of sophistication– Consumers turned off by high price, high calorie count and

confusing commercials

Why It Doesn’t Work

• Failure to clarify positioning– Consumers might become confused

• Consumer’s emotional attachment to product• Lack of internal alignment– Change should be evident throughout organization

• Lack of true change– Cannot just have new packaging– Must have goals and objectives to back up position

Will Rebranding be Successful?

• Launching the product in a fun way– Street team: “red capped invaders” took over

Starbucks headquarters

• Placed large red refrigerators in biggest markets, Portland and Seattle– Nothing marked on outside– Inside contained free cold lattes and

mochas

• Product hasn’t changed…only the image they are trying to convey

Sources• http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/109607/seattles-best-

coffee-stirs-up-heated-opinions• http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/news/strategy/

e3iec86729e87e7d194aa9af6a2e1cbbc44?pn=2• http://industry.bnet.com/advertising/10006801/new-logo-for-seattles-

best-coffee-meets-with-hail-of-jeers/• http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/23/business/media/23adcol.html• http://www.marketing91.com/brand-failure-mcdonalds-arch-deluxe/• http://www.dontdrinkthekoolaidblog.com/wp-content/uploads/

2010/05/Big-Red-Fridge.jpg