Apples to oranges: Two coffee shop chains and a total branding facepalm

I used to think branding was just logos and colors. Then last month I visited a local indie spot in Austin called Fleet Coffee and a Starbucks on the same day. The Starbucks felt like a waiting room with ambient noise. But Fleet had a handwritten sign that said 'try the honey lavender if you’re new' and a staffer remembered my name after one visit. Their whole vibe made me actually want to hang out. It hit me that branding is really about the feeling you leave people with, not the menu design. Has anyone else had a random experience that totally reframed how you see brand identity?

2 comments

2 Comments

jasonc5026d ago

Oh man, that honey lavender sign is PURE genius. I had a similar moment at this ramen shop in NYC where the owner sees me walk in and yells "Same as last time?" and I felt like a celebrity for five seconds. Meanwhile my Starbucks gold card has never gotten me anything but a half hearted nod. I once spent way too much money on a "branding consultation" for my etsy store and all i got was a color wheel and a headache. The real lesson here is that my name is literally impossible to forget because its so basic but somehow corporate chains still mess it up. Its like they spend millions on market research but forget that being remembered feels better than any font could ever look.

simon_sanchez5826d ago

Wait you actually paid for a branding consultation and they just handed you a color wheel? I mean that's almost impressive in a terrible way. My cousin paid $200 for a "logo package" and got a squiggle that looked like a worm wearing a hat. @jasonc50 that ramen shop story is exactly what I mean though - the little places just get it. It's wild how a simple "same as last time" can beat millions in ad dollars.