When I say Starbucks, you say_______. If you answered “sea nymph” that’s just what the company was hoping you’d say… I, on the other hand, would’ve said coffee.

I wouldn’t be in this business if I didn’t deem the new Starbucks logo blog-worthy, especially since it’s been covered by every media outlet imaginable. We were intrigued when Starbucks announced the addition of alcoholic beverages to its menu (Drink For Thought) and now, to commemorate their 40-year anniversary, they’ve introduced a new logo. The brand specialist behind the decision is Adam Hanft, who regarded the siren logo iconic enough to stand-alone… I couldn’t disagree more.

However, I do understand the company’s direction and certainly appreciate the less is more theory but I’m failing to see the benefit in this re-brand. Can removing the company name from your logo actually be good for business? It worked for Mac, Nike and McDonald’s; the apple, swoosh, even the golden arches are as synonymous with their brand as the name itself but I’m not sure the sea nymph makes this same statement. Is this another Gap Mishap or is it true that there’s no such thing as bad publicity?!

What do you think about the new Starbucks logo?

Starbucks, the coffee conglomerate that brought you the original overpriced latte, now wants to sell you beer and wine. As discussed in this recent Orange County Register article, is the idea crazy or inspired?

Let’s grind it down… On the one hand, during a recession such as this in which consumers are cutting back on purchasing, a few industries still thrive. One of them is alcohol. For Starbucks to leverage that by churning out an Americano by day and an Irish coffee by night is seemingly brilliant marketing. So what’s the problem?

Perhaps nothing. BUT there is the whole idea of doing one thing and doing it well, otherwise known as specialization. Take Taco Bell – if they started selling prime rib, we’d be suspicious (not to mention they’d HAVE to start serving alcohol just to get people to buy it!) Starbucks has become as ubiquitous to coffee as In-N-Out has to burgers. Could it just be a sign of the times, companies offering all things to all people? Or is the coffeehouse in for a “brewed” awakening?

What do you think Starbucks should serve – espresso shots, tequila shots, or both?

Earlier this week we talked about brand names, and how often they are used as opposed to the “generic” or real name of the product. We posed the question, “What’s in a brand”. To continue on this conversation, let’s talk about the actual branding of a product.

In an article from the WSJ, Rosalind Resnick discusses what makes a brand work, and her advice is simple, and brilliant

“My advice: Be the brand. Now, I’m not advising you to put on a cape and crown and belt it out on cable. What I am suggesting is that you figure out what your company stands for and start leveraging your personal brand. Once you get past your fear of making a fool of yourself, the rest is pretty simple”.

People know the heads of most of the large brands because they represent the brand – they are as much a part of it as the product they represent. In addition to the 5 she mentions (Barbara Corcoran, Donald Trump, Mario Batali, Richard Branson, Cesar Millan), there are hundreds more (Steve Jobs, Walt Disney, Steve Ballmer…). Each of these people has become the number one fan of their brand – and represents what they sell and provide with pizazz. They aren’t screaming from hilltops and working gimmicks, but they are certainly the companies #1 cheerleader. They are their brand, and even when they have passed on and the brand is in the hands of someone new, they will still be known.

Are you your brand?

Sometimes a brand name can be so effective it actually becomes synonymous with the product itself. Look at your shopping list – I bet you have at least one brand name written down in lieu of the actual product. Take Kleenex® for example. I bet you don’t even call them tissues anymore… Its just “can I have a Kleenex?” Are you only willing to buy the Kleenex brand of tissue or would you settle for generic? When you order a Coke, are all other sodas off limits or would you purchase Pepsi in a pinch? Other common examples include Q-tips® (cotton swabs), Post-it® (sticky notes), Band-Aid® (bandages), Xerox® (copier) and iPod® (mp3 player).

Branding (even some of these products) has been around since the Industrial Revolution. Even cattle are branded to distinguish them! Through a brief survey (conducted mainly of my close friends who humored me for this post) it appears the brand name itself winds up in the shopping cart, at least most of the time. Personally, my brand loyalty ends as soon as a competitor’s coupon arrives in the mail… And those store brands; while they may not look as pretty, really do perform equally, if not better than their pricier counterparts. However, if a company has been savvy enough to create an iconic brand, you can bet customers ask for it by name!

What other products can you think of that are synonymous with their brand name?

The UPS whiteboard ads were awesome…clever, creative and always interesting. The branding was great, and it really provided a clear picture of the services they provided and why they were so much better. Compared to their competitors, they were definitely much more effective with their branding.

But, just like so many companies who feel they need to stay ‘fresh’ and ‘interesting’, they re-branded themselves. And have completely lost me. Their new tagline is “We Love Logistics”. And, their new commercial is a song explaining what logistics is and why they love it…set to the tone of “that’s amore”. Sounds pretty obnoxious, right? It is. But that isn’t my issue – my issue is I have no idea what logistics are, despite the song trying to explain them. So to be fair, I decided that maybe I am the only person on the planet that doesn’t know what logisitcs is (are?) so I looked it up.

Just in case you are wondering too, the definition of lo·gis·tics [ lə jístiks ] (noun)
1. organization of complex task: the planning and implementation of a complex task
2. movement management: the planning and control of the flow of goods and materials through an organization or manufacturing process
3. organization of troop movements: the planning and organization of the movement of troops, their equipment, and supplies

Once I looked it up, I understood the choice of the word…kind of. I mean, technically it makes sense but it seems so complicated. So I did some more research on their site…and discovered they have an entire section dedicated to their “new logistics” and what it means. After browsing through, looking at what they have shared and reading some stories…it is clear what they love is organization…unfortunately, this is something this marketing campaign seriously lacks.

UPS, your logistics suck.

Personally, I hate most commercials. They annoy me to no end (I’m looking at you Jack in the Box, pretty much any bank and At&T), aren’t that clever and some are just downright ridiculous.

But, every once in a while, a company will put out a beaming ray of hope – a commercial that makes me laugh or pay attention! Just recently, Dodge did just that. Their new Challenger commercial is phenomenal in so many ways. Not only is it beautiful in it’s cinematography, but the messaging, the imagery, everything about it was perfect. They captured the feeling of American better than I have ever seen – and did it with class and a bit of humor. I loved it.

What is your favorite ad campaign running right now?

We’ve talked a lot about brands, how they choose to promote their products, and how to avoid brand nightmares. We also covered the (partial) re-branding of GM – or at least what we think they should have done!

Most companies will be lucky, they will never have to go through the process of a complete re-brand. But, there are a few who will have to…and then there are those that choose to. Of course, re-branding an entire company is not easy, and should be given the time and respect it deserves.

Which is exactly what Gro Baby did when they re-branded everything and became GroVia. Their story is explained in detail on the Fox Small Business site, but the most important details of how they made a successful re-branding happen are below:

• In the earliest stages, brainstorm. Ask yourself these simple questions: Who are we? Who are our customers? Where is our company going?
• Be absolutely certain you are working closely with an intellectual property attorney while choosing names. You are going to want to choose a name that can be registered.
• Enlist the help of a PR firm starting in those early stages, and start planning how you are going to launch your rebrand to the public.
• Know your competition. Does your rebrand set your product apart from others on the market? This is your chance to update your image; don’t try to fit in with your competition–take a risk!
• Budget accordingly. Rebrands are expensive, no matter the size of your company. Be certain you have allotted enough for a strategic public relations campaign (from press releases to interviews and events) and aggressive marketing following the launch of your brand.

Have you ever had to re-brand your business? What other suggestions do you have?

50 years ago, if a new product was introduced into the market, it was advertised through the newspapers, magazines, word of mouth and radio ads. Ad directors needed to be creative – really think through exactly what they were putting to paper, since it wasn’t cheap to run ads. They included all the details they could – people actually read the ads, curious to see the new specs and why they should be interested. These ads sold cars! I remember talking with my grandparents about old advertising – and how much they loved it. It was true – the companies put everything on the line, and their eggs in one basket. They needed these ads to work or they weren’t selling their products. They also remember the door to door salesmen – everything from the vacuum cleaner to steak knives, brought and demonstrated in home to show the public just how amazing the products really were. It was a different time for ads – and branding.

Now, we have TV, the web, social media and advertising has changed dramatically. While print advertising still exists, it has become less and less prevalent as traditional media slows. It is still necessary for branding, but print alone will not market your product. You now need to add in television, radio, social media and new technology. Of course, this is a double edged sword. While it does allow companies to diversify their marketing and  increase the touches to the customer, it can also allow for more branding problems and the need for a better strategy. You can’t just jump on twitter and be a success, just like facebook and blogging won’t save a bad business. True branding still requires the same thing it did 50 years ago – a good message, quality products and a strong brand.

Which brings me to today’s question: If you were to release a new product into the market today, how would you do it? Which tools would be the most important? The least important?

Share your thoughts!

Last week’s article from the Washington Post on the new 6 bladed razor from ShaveMate was one of the funniest (and most ridiculous) articles I have ever read. Luckily, it wasn’t the Washington Posts fault. The humor and laughter can all be blamed on those who were interviewed – The Tomassetti brothers who created this razor and Damon Jones of Gillette. Let me share with you some of the best pieces of the article…

WP asked why they felt the razor needed 6 blades (the most blades on any available razor), and the Tomasetti’s responded,

“It’s not just the blades,” says Lou Tomassetti who, along with his brother Peter, invented the Titan. “It’s really everything you need in one.” The Titan, he explains, also comes with shaving cream in the handle and a moisture strip.

“If you go out and try to buy equipment for shaving today,” Lou continues, “it’s very complicated.”

“You might have to buy batteries,” Peter adds.

“ShaveMate is really a lifestyle change” from all that, Lou says. “It’s a shaving revolution.”

Really guys? Shaving supplies are so complicated that you had to put everything into one? I’ve seen my husband shave…it really doesn’t look all that tough. So, maybe it’s just these guys thinking shaving is difficult. Certainly the Gillette gentlemen, the ones who first started the trend of adding more blades did it for a better reason? Nope…apparently to them, it is very technical science!

“It’s a scientific approach called ‘progressive geometry,’ ” says Damon Jones of Gillette. “It’s scientifically proven that multiple blades” will cut closer than just one. Shaving with a three-bladed razor is equivalent to shaving three times with a single blade — but, Jones says, even smoother.

“We use technology that’s used in the semiconductor industry and the automotive industry to get the spacing just right between blades,” he says. (Note: Maybe this is why the Mach ads featured cars?) “We’re talking microns,” Jones says. “It’s a very deep technical science.”

Okay, now you’ve got to be screwing with me…you use the automotive industry to get the spacing right?! Now I am really laughing.

Chime in guys – what do you think? Do you really need a 6 bladed razor?

Well, the simple answer would be to avoid doing anything that these 10 brands did this year!

Using data from the two largest brand-valuations firms as a reference, 24/7 Wall St. chose 10 big-name brands operating in the U.S. that have lost substantial chunks of their brand valuations in the first half of this year. They then mixed in a whole host of other criteria, and ended up with a list of “The 10 Biggest Brand Disasters of 2010″ — those on the list have lost well over $100 billion in brand value since Jan. 1.

The list includes brands like (BP (of course), Dell, Adobe (Blame Apple), Sony, Johnson&Johnson and Toyota(recalls will do it). Each company in the list was once a giant in the industry, well respected and definitely ahead of its time. But, with new changes to other brands, huge disasters with their products or problems with their services…these brands have lost serious footing.

The question is: How can we avoid the same fates as these once-giants?

Think, then react. Almost all of the above companies either reacted to problems before they thought them through (resulting in more problems) or thought about it a lot and did nothing (resulting in nothing). There are so many ways that many of these companies could have pulled themselves out of the holes they were in if they had only reacted the right way and been involved and honest with their customer base.

Let’s look at Adobe (the least controversial on the list, but still one worth looking at). Adobe took a huge dive this year because of a few harsh words from the Apple man, Mr. Steve Jobs. At a press conference, he started his tirade against flash…and continued it in writing: “Flash was created during the PC era for PCs and mice. The mobile era is about low power devices, touch interfaces and open Web standards, all areas where Flash falls short”. Big words from a powerful man, and in one fell swoop, the Adobe stock took a dive.

So how could they have fixed this problem? Possibly by admitting that Jobs was right…partially. Yes, mobile interfaces may not need flash, but there are still many sites that use it and so having it as an option for your users is a positive – not a negative. Adobe needed to also reach out to its users and talk with them…who knows, they may have had a great way to help! At the end of the day, Adobe did nothing to combat the words, nor to rally their troops around their product.

Don’t let this happen to you.