Always Be True

Successful brands have a single-minded focus. Simply, they stick to what they do best. No matter what. Here are a few examples: Volvo (safety), Whole Foods (fresh/local), Haagen Dazs (pure indulgence), Harley Davidson (rebel experience), Visa (freedom), Starbucks (coffee experience). Think about your brand and honestly assess your strengths and capabilities. What you'll find is your brand truth.

To Be Or Not To Be

Starbucks should know a little about brand truth. After all, the 13,000 unit chain has been quite successful. But walk into a Starbucks now and what do you see? Merchandise everywhere. CDs. Stuffed animals. And that smell? Why that's the strong, expansive whiff of melted cheese from the icon's newly introduced breakfast sandwiches.

Starbucks: diluted & blurred

There's usually a cost to extending the brand. Many times it's not apparent until too late. For Starbucks, gone is the shrill sound of the coffee grinder and the fresh aroma of non-automated, barista-pulled espresso. But where's the theater, the romance and the coffee focus that made this brand? With identity blurring, Starbucks is fast becoming just like other coffee/breakfast concepts; brands like Dunkin' Donuts, Einstein Bros, and yes, even McDonald's – whose upgraded coffee recently beat Starbucks in a Consumer Reports magazine taste test. Because Starbucks has strayed from the truth it is vulnerable to attack. Sounds like a wake-up call is urgently needed. Our advice, start with a strong cup of coffee!

"This above all – to thine ownself be true"

– Hamlet, William Shakespeare