Starbucks: Back to the Garden
The latest hype surrounding the coffee world (which includes the most of us) is the introduction of Starbuck's new concept store named 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea. The store claims to return to the roots of Starbucks through the introduction of vintage surroundings and a retrofitted identity.
Here's their new look which is a throwback to their humble beginnings.
I'm excited that there's an example of a brand that sees the value in being authentic. They are acting on an aspect of our society that has been lost - a sense of honest, genuine service. Despite they intentions, I doubt that they can pull it off.
To illustrate, I'd like to introduce my favorite coffee house called Bean There Cafe, in downtown Oakville. This place does not have an elaborate brand platform that adorns every cup and wall. It does not have a unified colour scheme or even a website that I can point you towards. Most important, it does not have a barrista serving Grande Espresso Macchiato - it has Bret serving small, medium and large along with homemade cookies and fresh sandwiches. Here's a picture of Bret:
What's interesting is that there are a number of "branded" coffee houses in and around the downtown Oakville area. Yet The Bean There Cafe is always full - mostly locals. So why the success:
1) Bret knows your name. He greets you with "hello" and a smile.
2) He prepares fresh food, fast. His team is friendly, hard working are also familiar with each patron.
3) The food is simple but tasty. The experience is unpretentious and genuine. The patrons therefore feel the same.
Starbucks concept into the "local community" is flawed in that people expect more of an experience from Starbucks. In this case Starbucks is its own obstacle as they impose corporate branding to garner true community. It's like Canadian Weightlifting Champion Ryan "6 pack" Lapadat deciding he can beat Michael Phelps at a 200-meter butterfly race. Both avid atheletes but only when they do what they do best.
Being Starbucks means things need to be measured, calculated and scrutinized. That's easy when the barrista is the conductor and the coffee machine but a podium. She controls the client experience by being witty, having fun and only interacting with the customer at the point of sale. It's theatre, it's the reason for Starbuck's success. Yet it's a one-way interaction. True community building takes years to foster. It grows on caring about individuals and it starts with knowing your customer's name. I just don't see Starbuck ever getting there - staff turnover alone would prohibit this from "truly" taking root.
It's exciting for us branding folk to see a big corporation like Starbucks move towards a more local community-based platform. It's like a return to the garden. But natural as it may seem, it's still big business. It beckons the question whether branding can ever be truly genuine on the most intimate levels of the human experience? Or can that only be achieved by never even having branding as an item on your menu? When asked about Bean There's future prospects, Bret proudly exclaims he has no plans on growing the business - he likes his business community just the way it is.
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