This is cool. Starbucks locations in Toronto and Vancouver are promoting Tazo Tea with new a interactive window display.
When you touch the screen, you can guide a hummingbird, dragon or butterfly to find the ingredients of the teas. Check out the vid below for how the display was executed.
This is a great sign, excuse the pun, for off-line advertising. So much focus is on the innovation of digital advertising nowadays that the 'real world' can be lost or forgotten. I will continue to say that we will see more and more of a convergence of thinking and execution from online to offline in the future. I am waiting for the day that I can Facebook 'Like' a real shirt in-store at Banana Republic from my mobile. Think about how easy and awesome that would make wedding gift registration and Christmas shopping. Just remember that you read it here first. ;) ~ p
Showing posts with label Starbucks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Starbucks. Show all posts
Bold New Starbucks Logo
It's a new year that will be full of new things, from cool movies, to newly offensive but amazingly addictive music, a kazillion more mobile apps, an annoyingly vast selection of tablets, re-thunk e-messaging, the highly anticipated mobile e-wallet, and so on.
To start the year, however, this post is not focussed on a new trend, or a cool piece of technology, or the latest web site that will add 10 minutes of web-time to my day and still manage to make my life easier (yeah, right). No, this post is about design. Or, rather, the redesign of what has become in the opinions of many, an American icon.
It's a preview of the new Starbucks logo. And, well, I'm not sure how I feel about it.
To start, I am a Starbucks man. I don't really like 'other popular coffee shops'. Yeah, I said it. Their coffee is typically crappy, and the environment is not worth suffering the time I spend in line. If someone doesn't like Starbucks coffee, I generally think they are a wussy. I think if my Grandma drank Starbucks, she would've said, 'It's strong and it'll put hair on your chest!' That hasn't really happened in abundance for me yet, but I still agree, it's strong and I like it.
Anyway, the new logo is, at first glance, a bit weak to me, but at the same time, it's very bold. Let me explain. As you can see, there is no thick, strong black and green border surrounding what they call Siren (the half-naked mermaid-esque chick). This makes it visually weaker. But they've also totally removed the company name and what they offer, 'Starbucks Coffee'. This makes it bold.
I understand the logic. 'We offer more than coffee, so why limited ourselves to being associated with just that product?' Agreed. But does Starbucks think they are so widely recognized in America and in the world that they can change their logo to eliminate any point of reference to what they sell? And for those who have never really paid attention to the mermaid icon, will people know who they are? This is to say that Starbucks is not just an industry icon, or an American icon even, but instead a globally iconic brand. That puts them in a class with Nike's Swoosh, McDonald's Golden Arches, and Apple's, well, Apple.
That is a bold move. And I can't help but think about the Artist Formerly Known As Prince. Meaning, it could backfire if it's overused and not supported, especially in new markets, with a clear cut name and offering.
Or, as I'm sure Starbucks is thinking, after selling a billion coffees and teas in this new cup, people will get the idea.
Or, as I'm sure Starbucks is thinking, after selling a billion coffees and teas in this new cup, people will get the idea.
What do you think? Is Starbucks powerful enough to pull this off? Will they have to revert to a modified version of the logo in new markets or where their brand recognition is low? ~ p
Starbucks Rolling Out Mobile Payment: Will this Slow Down Service?
Starbucks is brewing up some fresh thinking lately. I wrote about one of their Seattle stores offering craft beer and local wines last week, and I tweeted about their new Starbucks Digital Network, now they're rolling out their Starbucks Card Mobile Payment program into 300 stores in New York and Long Island.
Starbucks Card Mobile for iPhone and BlackBerry lets users pay for their coffee by holding up the 2-D barcode on their smartphone to the scanner at the counter. The application also allows customers to manage and reload their Starbucks Cards.
“We’re seeing more and more customers using their smartphones as their mobile wallets,” says Brady Brewer, vice president Starbucks Card and Loyalty. “We’ve heard from our customers on My Starbucks Idea that they want a faster, more convenient way to pay.”
A mobile payment device is faster? Interesting. In the Quick Service Retail industry, loyalty cards and alternative payment devices tend to fail and/or meet a lot of criticism both internally and externally. There are a few reasons for this, but the main one is that it slows down the line, and the experience. It doesn't traditional speed it up. I haven't tried this Card program yet, but from my 2-D interactions so far, it's not as fast as it often promises to be.
Regardless of the past, if anyone can figure this hurdle out, it's Starbucks. They recognize that mobile is an increasingly important avenue for them, and other should take note. The company reports that more than 50% of all logons to its free in-store WiFi are made via mobile phone, and that of its smartphone-carrying customer base, 71% have an iPhone or BlackBerry device.
The ultimate goal of the program is to get customers to trade in their physical Starbucks Cards for the digital variety — it’s a time saving exchange for the customer and a cost saving exchange for the company. Already, one in five of all in-store transactions are paid for via Starbucks Card (mobile or physical), and more than $1 billion will have been loaded on to cards by year’s end. ~ p
Starbucks Card Mobile for iPhone and BlackBerry lets users pay for their coffee by holding up the 2-D barcode on their smartphone to the scanner at the counter. The application also allows customers to manage and reload their Starbucks Cards.
“We’re seeing more and more customers using their smartphones as their mobile wallets,” says Brady Brewer, vice president Starbucks Card and Loyalty. “We’ve heard from our customers on My Starbucks Idea that they want a faster, more convenient way to pay.”
A mobile payment device is faster? Interesting. In the Quick Service Retail industry, loyalty cards and alternative payment devices tend to fail and/or meet a lot of criticism both internally and externally. There are a few reasons for this, but the main one is that it slows down the line, and the experience. It doesn't traditional speed it up. I haven't tried this Card program yet, but from my 2-D interactions so far, it's not as fast as it often promises to be.
Regardless of the past, if anyone can figure this hurdle out, it's Starbucks. They recognize that mobile is an increasingly important avenue for them, and other should take note. The company reports that more than 50% of all logons to its free in-store WiFi are made via mobile phone, and that of its smartphone-carrying customer base, 71% have an iPhone or BlackBerry device.
The ultimate goal of the program is to get customers to trade in their physical Starbucks Cards for the digital variety — it’s a time saving exchange for the customer and a cost saving exchange for the company. Already, one in five of all in-store transactions are paid for via Starbucks Card (mobile or physical), and more than $1 billion will have been loaded on to cards by year’s end. ~ p
(Source: Mashable)
Starbucks Buzz: New Meaning to Venti Brew
The Olive Way store in Seattle reopened Monday is the first under the Starbucks brand to offer alcohol. Craft beer and local wines go on sale after 4 p.m. The idea is to offer drinks and a wider variety of savory food that will attract customers after the morning espresso rush.
As USA Today reports, 'U.S. Starbucks stores see 70 percent of their business before 2 p.m., but the company wants to capture more of the evening customer traffic by offering customers more options.'
The coffee company also wants to foster a greater sense of community and plans to work with local artists to build “community tables” that can sit up to 15 people at a time. Inside the store, colors are muted and the lighting is dimmed, particularly in the evenings. The whole design tenor is low key, and simply doesn’t scream Starbucks when you walk in the door.'
What do you think? Do you want to see beer and wine at your local Starbucks? ~ p
Buy Your Friend a Starbucks on Facebook
Starbucks has done a lot of things right in the past couple years. I credit Howard Schultz for most of this shift, as they went from a possible headliner in Jim Collins book 'How the Mighty Fall', to a powerhouse brand (again) since he took back the CEO position in January of 2008. In that time, I have read and written countless cases on what Starbucks has done as leaders in not just Quick Service Retail, but as a global brand and company.
One of the cases I've talked about the most has been mystarbucksidea.com. This site gives customers and brand advocates a forum to share how they think Starbucks could be an better experience and company. Other site members vote on their favs and then...Starbucks will execute them. Awesome use of transparency, and consumer to brand integration. The latest idea to emerge from mystarbucksidea.com is the new 'Give a Gift' feature on the Starbucks Card Facebook application that lets users in the U.S. and Canada load between $5 and $500 to a friend's registered Starbucks Card.
“It’s great to bring another customer-inspired idea to life that enhances the customer experience in our coffee houses and within our digital communities. The new ‘Give a Gift’ feature on the Starbucks Card App provides a quick, fun gifting solution for our customers who want to surprise a friend on any occasion,” says Chris Bruzzo, Starbucks’s vice president for brand, content and online.
Starbucks has strong FB presence with more than 15 million fans, or 'likes'. Last time I checked, that was the most for any brand on Facebook. ~ p
(Source: mashable.com)
One of the cases I've talked about the most has been mystarbucksidea.com. This site gives customers and brand advocates a forum to share how they think Starbucks could be an better experience and company. Other site members vote on their favs and then...Starbucks will execute them. Awesome use of transparency, and consumer to brand integration. The latest idea to emerge from mystarbucksidea.com is the new 'Give a Gift' feature on the Starbucks Card Facebook application that lets users in the U.S. and Canada load between $5 and $500 to a friend's registered Starbucks Card.
“It’s great to bring another customer-inspired idea to life that enhances the customer experience in our coffee houses and within our digital communities. The new ‘Give a Gift’ feature on the Starbucks Card App provides a quick, fun gifting solution for our customers who want to surprise a friend on any occasion,” says Chris Bruzzo, Starbucks’s vice president for brand, content and online.
Starbucks has strong FB presence with more than 15 million fans, or 'likes'. Last time I checked, that was the most for any brand on Facebook. ~ p
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