By Hillary Grey In March, the Starbucks mermaid, or Siren, will get a new look. To mark its 40-year anniversary, Starbucks will update its logo by removing the words “Starbucks Coffee” and featuring the all-green Siren.
In light of the recent fallout from the Gap logo fiasco, tweaking the current logo is a better choice than a complete redesign, especially considering Starbucks’ incredible following. But the real questions are: can Starbucks sustain its brand image without any mention of coffee in the logo and is the Siren as well known as McDonald’s golden arches or Nike’s swoosh?
My thoughts: yes and yes. Starbucks is a global phenomenon with more than 16,700 stores in 50 different countries. Loyal customers will continue their morning, afternoon or evening ritual of a Starbucks fix regardless of what the cup says, and new customers will quickly catch on when they see their peers holding cups branded with the updated logo.
The logo change signifies that the company is updating aspects of its business model. By removing the words “Starbucks Coffee” from its logo, Starbucks will have more freedom to feature new food groups. To that end, in the social media world, rumors are starting about the possibility of offering a full breakfast or serving alcohol at night in select locations.
Come March, Starbucks management will see if customers like the change, but I’d bet that double caramel non-fat tall lattes are here to stay.
Hillary Grey is a student in the Masters in Integrated Marketing Communications program at Northwestern University’s Medill School and can be reached at hillarygrey@u.northwestern.edu.
