Coffee Posting #2

After my previous posting about Starbucks' magical copy, I must have been in a cup-reading type of mood ...

Truth be told, nowadays my wife and I actually more frequently get our daily java fix (she shuts down if she doesn't have her Vanilla Coffee Cooler, no whipped cream) from the newly opened Caribou Coffee. For those of you who don't know them (and you may not since they are only in a handful states), Caribou is number two in the gourmet coffeehouse biz. Think of them as Starbucks' quirky, socially conscious (cool positioning) cousin from the northwoods of Minnesota.

To be blunt they are second but it is a distant second to the clear market leader. But it's also a strong second. They have built a brand every bit as powerful as their erudite older cousin. Caribou's coffeehouses are like little lodges complete with faux fireplace, raw woodwork, and probably faux bearskin ottomans.

To do an apples to apples comparison with my previous post, how does their cup copy compare to the 'Bucks juggernaut?

You are holding our pride and joy

Hand-selected beans. Hand-crafted beverage.
It's in your hands now. Enjoy.

Not bad. And actually those simple phrases sum up their position in the market in an eloquent and concise fashion. They care about the coffee experience that Starbucks has sold us on. Pay a few bucks more and you enjoy a incomparable drinking experience. They acknowledge your involvement in this experience by referencing your enjoyment in tandem with their joy in creating it. The whole feel of their brand is targeted at coffee connoisseurs who may be after a more relaxed, lived in environment. Outdoorsy and soothing. Kick back by the fire and enjoy.

On a side note, their aforementioned social consciousness is easily felt with several signs proclaiming their support of social and agricultural responsibility in coffee production. Again, good differentiation but to be shrewd for a moment when they proclaim this so fervently it begs the question 'What does Starbucks do socially?' Probably a lot, perhaps even more given their size but they don't communicate it as prominently as Caribou and thus it escapes being a core component of their brand identity. To paraphrase James Carville, don't expect the public to know something unless you're willing to tell them.

The Point? There's something to be said for being a strong and respectable number two. In the end, you may even be number one in other measures that outweigh market leadership. Think Apple. Think Caribou. Think different. Happy Memorial Day!

P.S. I'll lay off the coffee posts for a while.

Magical Copy

STOP THE PRESSES!!

A marketing blog about Starbucks' unequivocal branding? Really ...???

No, I'm not hurting for topics but I'm daring to tread where -- um, like, every other marketing wonk has tread before. The holy grail of branding: Starbucks.

On a recent business trip I was killing time while enjoying a cup of my favorite Starbucks brew (plain ol' house dark roast, black) and was bored enough to actually read my coffee cup. And what nuggets of info does the cup contain? Caution: Hot! (McDonalds, trying dodge yet another suit). A little diagram on how much ice to put in (Burger King. -- like someone doesn't know? Like you could maybe mess that one up?? I digress). No, the copy on the Starbucks cup simply read:

There is a hidden magic in Starbucks coffee; proper brewing releases the subtle bouquet of flavors stored in each bean.

Wow. That, my friend, is why we pay 3-4 times more for Starbucks. With a story like that how could you possibly get anything else? Or, conversely, how could you not believe that Starbucks' coffee is better? This cup (a cup for crying out loud!) can teach us so much:

1. Talk about Copywriting 101. Take note: the imagery, the heightened language.
2. Not to mention Branding 201: Never underestimate any little bit of packaging. We all know it would be easier, cheaper, etc. to just order plain old boxes. But if you go that extra mile you could have a customer for life.
3. Finally it drives home either Tom Peters' WOW! Factor or Seth Godin's Purple Cow. Take your pick ...

The Point? Go there. Write magical copy. Create transcendant products and services. You don't just sell widgets! You sell an experience unlike any other. And if you don't believe that, well then, they'll always be a need for someone at the bottom for the people at the top to look down on. Oh, that and whatever you currently pay your copywriter ... double it and see what happens.

P.S. Just to show you the perceived value of the Starbucks cup with its magical copy ... While I was searching for an image for this post my Google image search brought up dozens of cups that people had taken pictures of and posted. The cup and its ideas have enough value for people to want to share them with their friends. Wow, indeed.

A Revealing - CORRECTION - Unveiling Look at Branding

I let out an audible "Wow" at the grocery store this afternoon when I saw how closely my regional chain had mirrored the packaging of GE's Reveal bulbs with its store brand.

This couldn't be a more timely discussion on the importance of design in branding. As I've said many times before, nowadays, everyone has to be a designer.

I also call this observation timely because I am reading Phil Dusinberry's agency memoir Then We Set His Hair on Fire. It's a great read. Among other topics, the author covers his work for GE with the "We Bring Good Things to Life" campaign. This illustrates the core credo of advertisers -- that brand building leads to overall equity and loyalty that creates lifelong users. According to Dusinberry, I should buy the Reveal bulbs just because they say GE and keep buying them for life.

Here's what's really happening. The first time I bought the bulbs, it was partially because of the GE brand and their commitment to innovation. And these bulbs live up to that -- the light is truely whiter. But the next time I went to buy them, I already knew I was pleased with this bulb but I found a generic counterpart for half the price. What could GE have that the store brand doesn't? Probably a lot but the packaging and it's superb design moves it into the same category as GE and helps resolve that dissonance.

The Point? I'm not saying we throw branding out with the bathwater. I think that it's an important tool in builing a remarkable company. But you also have to foster innovation, creativity, AND design (!) at every level in your organization and then keep on innovating after you've done it once or twice. Because you can't rest on your brand name and expect the masses to keep paying twice as much for your bulbs.