Brand Experience

Coke’s undergoing some image changes, and one of the arenas they’ve gone about publicizing it is at the currently-underway Beijing Olympics. Following their Pemberton ad, which aims to spread awareness of the fact that Coke is made without any artificial flavours, the soft-drinks company is carrying out a number of initiatives in Beijing to promote environmental consciousness.

They have launched a new line of ’sustainable’ fashion - T-shirts that have been made out of cotton and polyethylene terephthalate, or PET. All participating athletes and officials at the Games have been handed these T-shirts, which say ‘I’m from Earth’ on the front, and the images of five bottles at the back, indicating the number of bottles it took to make the shirt. They have also partnered with the Beijing Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games (BOCOG) and the City of Beijing to recycle all PET bottles during the Games into reusable items, and are premiering a documentary film featuring seven torch relay runners selected for their commitment to the environment. Last but not the least, they are selling their products at each Olympic venue from high-tech vending machines that emit over 400 tonnes LESS of greenhouse gases.

If one thing is for sure, it’s that Coke is certainly making an effort to walk the talk. For a brand that’s had its share of controversies in the past, that’s a welcome change.

[via WWD, Olympic.org and Stylewatch]

Every day brings a new technology and another brand that tries to get a head start by implementing it before the rest. Polo Ralph Lauren has become the first luxury retailer to launch mobile commerce. In Asia, it is common for people to buy products like Coke from vending machines through their mobile phones - that started as early as 2001. What Polo Ralph Lauren is doing now, is aiming to attract business from the tech-savvy consumer in America by allowing them to buy products with codes that they intend to place in print ads, mailings and store windows, which will also be a feature of their sponsorship of the U.S Open later this month. Once users download the software to their phone, the codes can be scanned and they will be directed to a phone-friendly version of the Ralph Lauren site.

From Forbes, David Lauren, the Senior Vice-President of Advertising at the company and son of Ralph Lauren, said:

“We recognize that in America this is going after somebody who is more comfortable with technology. The truth is that in other countries, it’s becoming a part of their culture. The trend is coming, and as a fashion company it’s very important to identify trends and get ahead of them.”

[Via Forbes]

BVD in Sweden were asked to by Turesgruppen AB to create a strong and totally unique café experience: from concept and name, to graphic profile and packaging. The concept needed to be warm, welcoming, honest and genuine and targeted to young professionals.

They created an image that mixed black, white and stainless steel with “warm” wood and other simple nostalgic cues:

The old fashioned café-feeling [is] expressed by things like a board with old, detachable letters and traditional cups and trays. The graphics are clean and simple, but at the same time surprising and playful. The design exudes personality, quality, style and a big city feeling.

Photos and more: BVD Case Study

Monocle magazine has opened up a branded newsstand in Fitzrovia, London. The shop is done up in full Monocle style, offering a clean and stylish way to browse the latest publications. Going forward, the magazine is looking to continue building a network of branded news outlets around the globe.

With speculation running wild over the fate of printed matter, this is an interesting move in favor of it’s future. With environmental impact concerns and production costs rising, along with Monocle’s high end reputation in mind, perhaps it’s a sign that print is going to end up being a luxury item in the future?

Monocle

To create a buzz around its new fragrance for men, Infusion d’Homme, Prada has commissioned nine young directors from across the world (Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, France, India, Italy, Korea, Spain and the USA) to create films inspired by their individual interpretations of the scent. The only caveat to the directors was that the films should be visual representations of the sensory images triggered by the perfume, and not straightforward commercials - they were otherwise given a free rein. The nine works are going to be edited into one long piece by Pietro Scalia, two-time Oscar-winning film editor. The complete film will be a synthesis of Prada’s vision of Infusion d’Homme.

You can watch all the short films on Prada’s website.

Topshop fans in London, Manchester and Dublin can now create their own magazine-cover looks in-store, at the Helmut Newton Photo Machines which have been installed in Topshop stores in these cities. Helmut Newton was one of the most famous fashion photographers of all time. The Helmut Newton Estate has partnered with Topshop to recreate this ’70’s photographic concept that gives customers the chance to create their own fabulous photo by walking in, posing, and pressing a button.

Photographic history can now be yours.

PSFK friend Diana Wolf recently wrote an insightful piece on Starbucks’ multipronged attempt at brand revitalization. The whole article is republished here (with author’s permission):

“We’re not this young, beloved, entrepreneurial enterprise anymore… We have to do business in a different way.” – Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz

And that’s exactly what he’s doing – business in a different way. And then in a different way. And then in a way that’s different from that. In early January, Schultz reclaimed the CEO torch he passed on back in 2000 and has since been making some pretty drastic and rather disparate changes. And I’ve been jotting them down. So far we’ve seen:

1. Better coffee: Story has it that Schultz saw the line at Café Grumpy in Chelsea, which uses an $11,000 Clover coffeemaker, got a coffee and declared it the “best cup of brewed coffee I have ever tasted.” So good, in fact, that he discreetly bought the Clover-making company, the Coffee Equipment Company, and began installing Clovers at stores in Seattle and Boston in summer 07. Clover-made coffee sold for as much as $3.05, which is about a dollar more than Starbucks’ regular brew. He plans to accelerate the rollout of the machines in the US and international markets.

2. Worse coffee: Pike’s Place Roast. Though Starbucks denies it, the introduction of the Pike’s Place Roast was in response to increasing competition from Dunkin Donuts and McD’s (whose coffee tastes better than Starbucks, per a Consumer Reports survey). Starbucks wanted an “everyday brew,” which is a better way of saying it has placated the American taste for a limp brew.

3. The nostalgia effort: Trying to “return to our core – all things coffee” and conjure up some nostalgia, Starbucks reintroduced the old icon of the mermaid, with a brown logo carrying a tagline “Roasting Coffee Since 1971.”

4. Banish the breakfast sandwich: While it earns the ‘Bucks a tidy profit, it deviates from the core business – “all things coffee.” Plus, the smell interfered with the coffee aroma in the store, and thus, the Starbucks experience. Schultz swore to pull it in January…

5. Bring back the breakfast sandwich: …But rumors have spread that Starbucks is actually bringing the breakfast sandwich back. Apparently, they’ve been “reformulated to eliminate the ‘smell’ problem.

6. A mystery concoction: There’s a new concoction that Schultz refers to as “a game-changer in the coffee space, something in a cup.” I believe this is the Sorbetto frozen beverage that the ‘Bucks released in LA & OC early in July.

7. Ditch the music label: Yes if you didn’t know, Starbucks started a record label called HearMusic. It even has its own XM channel (now Starbucks XM Café). But Starbucks is scaling the business back. Good move, since it only sells an average of 2 CD’s a day per store. Talk about deviating from the core business.

8. Ditch the underperformers: In July, Starbucks announced its closure of 600 stores. Check this map for a closure near you, or peep the full list. It’s also dropping 61 of its 84 stores in Australia, and eliminating 1,000 support jobs (not including all layoffs due to stores closures).

9. Re-education: Schultz closed more than 7,000 stores for three hours in February to allow 135,000 baristas to relearn—or learn—how to make a espresso.

10. New store design: Starbucks is also apparently looking into changing the design of the 15,000 stores. Architect Magazine asked 5 teams of architects from around the country to share their vision of the 21st century coffee shop. Check them out.

11. One buck ‘Bucks: Starbucks offered $1.00 Short cups of coffee with free refills (in Seattle-area stores) earlier in January. Who knew there was a short?

12. Discounts to addicts: Starbucks said it will now offer its morning customers any iced grande beverage for $2 after 2 p.m. That’s a big cut, since a grande iced latte, for example, normally costs $4. Customers must present a receipt from their morning Starbucks visit in order to get the discount.

13. Starbucks Card Rewards: Now they want to reward loyal customers by giving them customizations like syrup or an extra shot on the house. So if you have a rewards card and you order a tall hazelnut latte, you will only be charged for a tall latte. Rewards card holders are also given up to 2 consecutive hours of free internet in the stores.

14. MyStarbucksIdea.com: Now you can join a Starbucks social network where you can share your ideas, engage in conversations, and play a role in shaping Starbucks future.

So which tactic will help this ailing iconic brand? Better coffee, or worse coffee? Breakfast sandwich or not?

(Article originally published at What I Learned Today, republished with author’s permission.)

Johnny Cupcakes just opened a new location in Los Angeles after amassing a line of people who waited up to four days for the grand opening. The store doesn’t actually sell any cupcakes but rather focuses on a quirky retail experience to guide you through the process of getting your paws on their coveted clothing. SlamXHype writes:

The attention to detail that went into every small aspect of the shop is unbelievable… everything from a fake stove that lights up underneath the counter where you pay for your shirts to the full wall of ovens that open and close randomly with steam coming out.

[via SlamXHype]

As Fourbucks closes 19% of its stores, Michigan-based Biggby Coffee, formerly known as Beaner’s (yes Beaner’s) is celebrating the opening of their 100th store - a 30% increase since January 31st, 2008.

Back in January Biggby received a bit of press because of their name change. Some criticized them for caving into pressure from the “politically correct” crowd. I said it was a smart move. As the Detroit Free Press reported:

Juan Tornoe, an Austin, Texas-based Hispanic marketing consultant, said it’s clear to him and should be to anyone that Beaner’s name is about coffee, not contempt.

But the name change could be a smart move for a company with national aspirations: By 2050, nearly a quarter of the U.S. population will be of Hispanic heritage.

The company stuck to its core values and customers stuck with them. Hell, they could have named it whatever they wanted (I’m quite fond of “Tornoe’s Coffee”, but maybe it’s just me), yet they wisely chose a name that helped preserve an iconic element (the “big B”, get it) related to its former self.

As reported on July 21st issue of The Lansing State Journal:

Another recent change for Biggby was the conversion to a new company name. Biggby officials changed the name in January when they realized the former name - Beaner’s Coffee - could be considered a derogatory term used against Hispanics.

And so far, the transition has gone smoothly, Fish said.

“We haven’t missed a beat,” he said. “For a lot of people, it just took seeing the change” because customers realized everything else, even the logo, remained the same.

No picketing outside, no hate mail, just a wise – and gutsy – strategic decision made at the right time.

Congratulations (former) Beaner’s!