A coffee shop that’s part of your daily routine, a barista who knows your order by heart, and a 16 ounce cup that may as well be permanently glued to your left hand. You know it, and love it too much to pretend you’re oblivious to my referencing of Starbucks. The Seattle based coffee chain established in 1971 has now expanded to over 16,500 stores in more than 50 countries. As if this international expansion wasn’t enough, virtually every one of these stores sees a daily throng of loyal customers ranging from diligent businessmen, to on-the-go soccer moms and even your fellow UBC students, including yours truly. But it wasn’t until two weeks ago when Starbucks patrons were shocked to hear of the upcoming twist in their morning routine as the coffee company announced that they would be changing the logo on their cups. In the upcoming months, the Siren will no longer be bound by the words “Starbucks Coffee”, and will instead stand on her own. Starbucks will also be eliminating any black from their cup’s logo, leaving the Siren green on a white background.
Naturally president and CEO Howard Shultz celebrated the new logo, remarking the unity it has brought between the brands two identities: Starbucks’ culture and traditions as a renowned coffee shop, and their prospective growth as a company. However, while Shultz excitedly shared the company milestone, many customers were unenthusiastic, or found themselves with mixed feelings. Marketing experts also shared a huge range of outlooks on the logo change, often referencing similar headlines made by the Gap this past winter. But it was Rob Frankel’s reasoning that caught my attention: Frankel applauded the corporation for eliminating the writing from the new cup, “because it actually makes strategic sense for the company”. By dropping the coffee reference, Starbucks has essentially revolutionized themselves as a company, showing consumers that their products stretch far beyond a tall cup of Pike Place roast.
Patrons of the coffee shop came together online to share their opinions, some consumers so strongly opposed that they have threatened to take their business elsewhere. I, however, view this modification a bit differently, both as a loyal customer and a marketing student. Given a choice, I would prefer the logo that has greeted me every morning for the past 5 years. But at the end of the day, it is what’s inside the cup that matters more: as long as my skinny vanilla latte does its job of keeping me awake in class and tastes the same, I am a satisfied customer, and see no reason to stop frequenting my favourite coffee place. And quite frankly, I can say with great confidence that my fellow devoted customers will adjust to the new logo and continue to visit Starbucks on a regular basis. Because while brand loyal customers may see this as an opportunity for themselves to drop their Starbucks lattes and move on to a new consumer trend, the rest of us have come to terms with the fact that the product itself hasn’t really changed. My visits to Starbucks will still entail the same James Morrison songs softly playing, my genius baristas who know my order without me having to say a word, and most importantly, my morning fix made just the way I like it.
