July 25th was the opening of Starbucks big experiment: un-branding. Their new store in Seattle – the 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea – is reminiscent of the original Starbucks down the street. Why are they doing this? One of the big disadvantages of having a megabrand is managing expectations which are megabig: the inevitable limitations that come with success can be stifling.
Product segmentation is now a standard strategy for brands yet that’s difficult for a store. How many coffee products can you tout under one small roof before it gets overwhelming? Segmentation offers something for every taste, captures all tastes.
But once you walk through the door, or the thousands of ‘doors’ of Starbucks or MacDonald’s or Gap or Anthropology you expect something and it must be delivered. The brand is reinforced by consistency. There is no way to deviate from the offering or the brand style and still reinforce the brand image.
Control is king. And control can kill. How does a corporation keep growing, keep key talent, build enthusiasm when everything is controlled down to the 1/64th of an inch?
So un-brand. Come up with something so completely different that the blood pulses through the creatives’ veins again. And capture the imagination of the public – again. Felissimo, a very high end Japanese-owned store in an elegant townhouse on 56th Street in New York was such an experiment. Felissimo is also a low-end brand sold in Japan. Its products are sold in Target. It’s hard to know how the high end store has helped the corporation thrive.
Starbucks’ observers are watching carefully as customers shop in the 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea, trying to see what they see during this scientific experiment in un-branding. The retail world is watching to see the results.