Culture and Branding - Starbucks - Essay Example

? Symbolic Frame Discussion Post Summary of article I accessed Business Week articles via businessweek.com and searched for an article on Starbucks that might discuss the culture and branding. I have spent a lot of time at Starbucks and absolutely love their ambiance and the consistency of their products and service regardless of the location. I also thought Starbucks would present a strong identity and organizational culture that would provide some good examples for this assignment. The article chosen is written regarding Howard Schultz returning to the helm as CEO in 2008 and finding some of the good will faded. To restore what had been lost Mr. Schultz brought back the original logo of the brown mermaid rather than the green mermaid. The purpose was to focus back on the nostalgia of the past and celebrate the long term successes of the coffee company. Remind the customer of the good times and tell them they will have more. Link to full article: http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/apr2008/id20080411_065581.htm Quote #1 The image of the twin-tailed mermaid inside the brown medallion harkens back to the chain's 1971 beginnings. The logo has evolved over the years, going from brown to green in 1987. This is the second time in three years Starbucks has trotted out the brown mermaid, inspired by a Norse woodcut. Back in 2006, she was resurrected to mark the chain's 35th anniversary. This time, she is a messenger for Chairman Howard Schultz, who is trying to restore some of the goodwill and warm feelings for the brand that have gone by the wayside because of increasing coffee prices, machine-made lattes, and bad press. Symbolic tenet shown in not what is shown or done, but what it means (Bolman & Deal, 2008). In an effort to generate the positive emotions of the past, Schultz is bringing out the logo (a symbol) of the past to try to regenerate those positive feelings. The resurrection of the logo had worked during the 35th anniversary, so Schultz assumed it would work to refocus customers as the company worked to improve the flavor of the coffee. Quote #2 Giampietro compares the move with those of baseball teams that have their players don throwback uniforms. The retro nods are meant to enliven the mood of patrons who, even while enjoying a visit to the ballpark, may resent paying $100 or more for a family of three to see a nine-inning game. "Old logos can engender a brand's story and history, and spark or rekindle an emotional bond," says independent Los Angeles-based marketing consultant Dennis Keene. Symbolic tenet shown is when people (customer or employee) is facing uncertainty they create or look to symbols to find direction and to give them hope in the future (Bolman & Deal, 2008). In Starbucks case, as the quote suggests, the customer doesn’t mind paying $4 – $5 for a cup of coffee as long as the environment continues to calm, sooth, and enlighten the mind and heart. Quote #3 Tapping a logo change to convey a corporate strategy is not a fresh idea. In 2000, then-Ford CEO Jacques Nasser took the Ford Blue Oval logo off the headquarters building in Dearborn, Mich., and replaced it with a script rendering of "The Ford Motor Co." that was also used in corporate advertising. The move was meant to convey that Ford (F) was not just blue-oval Ford products, but also Jaguars, Volvos, Land Rovers, and the myriad of other outfits Nasser was buying to diversify the company's interests. Symbolic tenets shown apply regardless of the organization. Whether Starbucks or Ford, the emblematic form, rituals, and stories help people find purpose and passion once again. Returning to what made the company great is still within the company, reminding the employee and the company that why they are there really matters. Even a trip to the coffee shop makes a difference in their life. References Bolman, L., & Deal, T. (2008). Reframing Organizations. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc. Kelly, D. (2008, April 11). Starbucks retro logo. Business Week, Retrieved March 30, 2011 from http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/apr2008/id20080411_065581.htm here is an example of what the teacher is asking for!! I found my material using Google Scholar Search. The article was from Business Week, August 7, 2006 and talked about the best global brands. I have always been interested in corporate branding and the emotion that well-known brands inspire in their customers. OK, I know I took the low-hanging fruit, not because it was mentioned in our text but because I am a believer. I rode a Harley Davidson Sportster for over 30 years. There is something special about riding a Harley. When you hop on Harley, you feel special and like a member of an elite class. No other bike feels like it. To non-bikers, it may look like just another motorcycle, but when I started off on a long ride, I felt a little like Peter Fonda, care free, with the wind blowing through my hair and the sound of the engine drowning out the sounds around me. I felt like I had left my troubles behind me and Passing another Harley or group of Harley’s usually elicited a ‘thumbs up’ or similar ritual gesture (Bolman & Deal, 2008), and you just knew that the other riders felt the same pride of owning a Harley” (Reid, 1989). The article covered other best brands as well, including Google, Starbucks, eBay, Motorola, and Hyundai as well as brand losers Ford, Kodak, Heinz, Intel, and Gap. To inspire customers to buy more Starbucks products, the company decided to make its own collection of CDs in attempt to have customers view it’s [the Starbuck’s] brand as a cultural portal” (Kiley, 2006).In an attempt to stay relevant, Starbucks also back a movie, Akeelah and the Bee. The movie is about an inner-city African American girl who competes in a national spelling bee, and the company posted words used in the movie on the walls of their stores based on their brand culture (Kiley,2006). The article also covers MacDonalds which has recently introduced a campaign to appeal to suburban moms by including such items as salads, apples, and chicken meals. In an attempt to portray their as mom-friendly, the company has partnered with the Olympics, talking up the importance of exercise and nutrition using such athletic role models as tennis stars Venus and Serna Williams (Kiley, 2006). MacDonalds used the Williams’ girls as heroines to serve as living logos for their brand (Bolman & Deal, 2008). Read More