Ali Birston, among many others, jumped on the train of uproar over the new Starbucks logo in her January blog post titled “The Evolution of the Starbucks Siren”. Her post explains the reasoning behind the alteration to the logo and the negative reactions from many loyal customers. Nevertheless, she still considers it a smart strategic move.
Only problem is…where is this logo? As I got off the bus this afternoon in the cold and rain, trudging through the slush the snow became, I couldn’t help but venture in to starbucks for a cup of hot, sweet goodness to cheer me up. I sit here now with cup in hand, still staring at the traditional logo 3 months after the announcement was made. Even when I google “Starbucks Logo” the new logo cannot be found in the top results.
Nigel Hollis writes in a blog for the Harvard Business Review, that the new logo’d cups and merchandise will begin distribution this spring but this poses the question: is such a lengthy gap between the announcement and execution such a strategic move?
I understand the need to deplete existing inventory before introducing new items and on one side of the argument, making the announcement so early allows time for the public to accept and expect the change. But Starbucks faced such an uproar from loyal customers back in January, now that everything has settled down should they expect another spout of negative publicity once this logo is actually in customer’s hands come Spring? Would it not have been more strategic to announce and execute, power through the negative reactions or embrace the positives, then let the dust settle for good?
Just like you can’t judge a book by its cover, you can’t judge a coffee by its mug…I won’t be giving up my cup of hot, sweet goodness anytime soon!