The restoration of a brand

Sky-rocketing coffee prices. Machine-churned drinks. Bad press. Starbucks is getting pummeled by all sorts of bad rep recently. In an effort to restore faith to the coffee lovers out there, they have redonned their old logo, albeit slightly modified (no more bare breasts for the twin-tailed mermaid, thanks to her longs locks). I recall the not-too-long ago shutting down of all stores for a few hours of retraining. Well, I'm sure the green we've all come to identify with Starbucks will be back.

Now ... will this work? Will Howard Schultz restore the core values that made Starbucks a success? Maybe. It will certainly embrace its 1971 nostalgic origins, heritage and perhaps an emotional attachment to a brand that has become synonymous with coffee. This affects both customers and employees alike. It's a good reminder of what makes Starbucks a success, and a Fortune 500 company. But ... I think the green will be back. Its clean, crisp, modern and that is something Starbucks needs ... to keep updated. The green is good for them. Keep the brown for very special occasions (like this one) and only special occasions. Let's also hope their new Pike Place coffee isn't 'burned' as previously reported by Consumer Reports.