Brand positioning

Mobile or Not, Here I Come

~ Carmen Duarte ~ Leave a comment

I admit it; I’m a one-a-day Starbucks coffee addict. It’s a mandatory stop before getting to work. On days that I work out from our office gym, I stop and order at the Starbucks down the block, given the early hour. And on days that I get up and run in my neighborhood, I place a mobile order on my way to work on the Starbucks app. While mobile ordering is exceptionally easy, pickups are chaotic. The allocated store space is overcrowded and the staff is rushed, so can’t spare any interest in engaging with the mobile mob scene. You have no choice but to manhandle the many cups and pastry bags on the counter to find yours. Still, it sure beats waiting in the even more crowded in-store queue.

Last Wednesday was a home workout—or mobile ordering day. But when I tried placing my Starbucks order, my usual store was not appearing. Fully convinced it was user error, I kept closing the app and retrying, but kept getting the same result. Being totally confused—and in desperate need of my grande dark roast—I decided I’d just deal with waiting in line, so walked on to my usual Starbucks. But once I arrived, the mystery was solved—the store was closed, with a sign in the window stating it was undergoing repairs.

Undergoing repairs? What kind of repairs and why didn’t they tell us the prior day, while fulfilling our orders? Well it must have been an emergency closing (e.g., a burst water pipe) and the signage was just unclear. Fortunately, there is another Starbucks just two blocks away (isn’t there always?), so I successfully placed my mobile order and headed over. When I arrived, I was pleasantly greeted by a mobile order concierge (is this the same brand?!), who asked my name and was able to immediately tell me how soon my order would be ready.

I wondered if this was temporary, to help manage the overflow from the store closed around the corner. Just to be sure, I decided to visit this location the next day, and the mobile concierge is a fixture! Are they testing the concept in select stores? How come I didn’t know the experience was much more civilized just two blocks away? Is this really the same brand?

Looking back, what failed me that morning was Starbucks’ communication. As a loyal customer, I should have experienced the following:

  • The mobile app should have told me the location I was trying to order from was closed, and suggested that I visit another store, maybe even offering an alternative address.
  • The store sign should have read “We’re sorry; emergency air conditioning repairs today. Please visit our neighboring locations.” Then I would have felt bad for the staff and anticipated a reopening the next day.
  • And the mobile concierge? As much as I loved the service, he should have said something about this being a pilot (or whatever they’re doing) so I could determine if I want this store to be my new mobile ordering pickup location.

Regardless, I will be back again and again, as the product still trumps the other local coffee options, at least in my view. And I guess they know that. Still, I can’t help but wonder what would Howard Schulz think?

 

Starbucks-UniversityAve

Vacation Branding (or Why RI’s “Cooler + Warmer” Failed to Ignite)

~ Carmen Duarte ~ Leave a comment

Last week, I scratched my head when I heard about Rhode Island ‘s new tourism slogan “Cooler & Warmer.” Were they comparing New England’s famously ever-changing weather, which can be cooler and then suddenly warmer? Or was it another example of Massachusetts’ envy, e.g., “we’re cooler and warmer than Boston and Cape Cod?” I didn’t quite get it, and apparently, neither did most everyone else in the state.

As my day job is in marketing, I’ve learned a thing or two about branding, and it seemed that Rhode Island overlooked some of the basic principles. A successful brand strategy must be authentic, articulate compelling benefits that differentiates it from the competition and must resonate with those who represent the brand—typically employees but in this case, the local residents. As branding expert David Akers says, “A brand is more than a three-word phrase.“

Rhode Island is our smallest state, and that presents much of its charm. Amazingly, there is a substantial range of opportunities within a 45-minute radius—a vibrant art and food scene, city-life and rural villages, beaches and woodlands, top-ranking colleges and second-tier professional sports are all accessible. But probably what makes Rhode Island special, is the people. It’s a proud and scrappy population that doesn’t care that Boston is only an hour away. Plus due to its small size, it’s nearly impossible to go somewhere without seeing someone you know. That sense of familiarity and simplicity is very comforting and in my view, differentiates the Rhode Island experience from its New England neighbors.

“Cooler & Warmer” didn’t capture this personality. Fortunately, the campaign was pulled within days, leaving only the sting of the $500,000 price tag associated with the doomed tagline—and yet another “only in Rhode Island” story for the locals to enjoy.

So as the governor and her team go back to the drawing board, here’s my advice.

  • Spend a little time vacationing around the state and consider what makes each place uniquely Rhode Island.
  • Find that authentic voice to define Rhode Island’s true essence—and then the locals will embrace your message.
  • Rely on earned media (PR) to offer an objective view of the state’s benefits vs. spending millions on advertising. Honestly, when’s the last time you decided where to vacation based on a slogan?
  • Consider a well-executed social media campaign with a #whyrhodeisland hashtag. People trust peer-to-peer views much more than marketing campaigns.
  • Watch what’s being said on the travel sites (Trip Advisor and Yelp); promote the success stories.
  • Last, introduce such campaigns to your community before going live, and let the locals be your ambassadors. Rhode Islanders are a proud group and not beyond bragging about this special little place.

CoolerandWarmer

Learn from the Best: Lunch with Martha Stewart

~ Carmen Duarte ~ Leave a comment

I’m at a conference and today’s lunchtime speaker was branding maven Martha Stewart. In my view, she is a charter member of the brand positioning hall of fame. Her focus and passion around home and entertainment have yielded an iconic brand carefully crafted by Martha Stewart, the person.

So what did Martha have to say?

  1. Brand positioning: “We believe every home is a canvas.” This simple statement implies adventure and possibility, and also suggests that with Martha as your art teacher, your creation will be tasteful and stylish.
  2. Brand values: this ambitious list features the company’s efforts to be “inspiring, informative, innovative, distinctive, timeless, educational, surprising, celebratory and beautiful.” They aim to deliver on these promises through artful content, primarily beautiful photography, as found in Martha Stewart “Living” magazine, her blog and other content marketing tools.
  3. Martha Stewart recognizes they have strong competition (think Bon Appetit magazine and other lifestyle publications) and that the internet has reinvented consumer expectations.
  4. Effective management is a major challenge. Given her many ideas and opportunities, having the leadership bandwidth to nurture the longstanding core business while developing aspirations is important to succeeding.

No startling revelations; simply an inside look at a well-defined brand strategy. I’m not sure I’d thought of my home as a canvas, but it’s an uplifting term – and maybe means some redecorating is in order!

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