Starbucks Reaches the Pinnacle of Logo Recognition Success
January 14, 2011
There are a handful of well-known logos that are so easily recognized and have become such a part of consumers’ lives and culture that they don’t need a brand name to go along with them. The iconic symbol is enough to evoke feelings, memories, and perceptions in consumers about the business behind the logo. Playboy, Nike, and Apple are just a few examples of logos that can stand on their own without a brand name attached to them.
In celebration of its 40th year in business, Starbucks is releasing a revamped logo that omits “Starbucks Coffee” from the logo entirely. See the history of the Starbucks logo, including the new logo for 2011, in the image below.
As Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz explains in the promotional video shown below about the Starbucks brand identity, “The evolution of the logo does two very important things. It embraces and respects our heritage and at the same time evolves us to a point where we feel it’s more suitable for the future.”
One of the most intriguing parts of Schultz’s video message begins at 1:05 into the video when Schultz makes a bold statement about the logo which makes the audience wonder about the possible future for the Starbucks company. He says, “What I think we’ve done is we’ve allowed her [the Siren] to come out of the circle in a way that I think gives us the freedom and flexibility to think beyond coffee.” He goes on to ensure viewers that Starbucks will always be a leading coffee company producing top quality coffee, but one can assume that the doors are certainly open for new opportunities.
The new Starbucks logo brings up two important points in terms of brand strategy:
- Is your brand imagery and logo strong enough to stand on its own without the name? It’s something to aspire as an indication of brand value.
- Is your brand imagery and logo too limiting? It’s something to consider in terms of how it could affect long term business growth and brand extensions.
What do you think of the new Starbucks logo? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.
Image: Starbucks.com
Does an excellent CSR report mean an excellent website?
January 14, 2011
Elaine Cohen is a prolific CSR blogger and the chances are if you’re reading this you should already well aware of the excellent content she puts out without ever appearing to flag.
On Christmas Day she published what she considers to be the Top 10 CSR reports for 2010. Trusting her judgement implicitly, and following my usual MO, I decided to have a look at these companies’ websites and see whether their excellence in reporting extended to their websites, picking up a few hints and tips on the way.
To put it another way, do they get one thumbs up or two?
I’ve addressed the companies in the same order Elaine did, and she makes clear this is in no particular order whatsoever.
Danisco
A Danish food, clothing and chemicals conglomerate whose 2010 CSR report also won a top award in Denmark.
A well presented website with good granularity content touching on many issues to a surprising depth. Topics are presented simply but with further information always available. Further links take the reader on to the latest report for greater detail and performance figures. The only shame is that those figures aren’t available immediately on the website.
Alling Henning Associates
A small US marketing agency which, among other services, produces CSR reports and communications.
An exceptionally innovative one-page online only report which reports facts and figures only. Programmed in Flash, little speech bubbles and other interactive widgets pop up as you browse through it and once you’ve spotted the ant on the apple core you can’t help but smile. Just a shame I couldn’t find a link to it from their main webspace!
Impahla Clothing
A small clothing manufacturer from South Africa, part of Puma’s sustainable supply chain.
Impahla don’t have a website so it would inappropriate to comment, other than to say they gained a lot of coverage as the carbon neutral manufacturer of several African nations’ kit at the 2010 World Cup.
Coca Cola
The US based world-bestriding drinks manufacturer.
An excellent example of arranging hardcopy report information in an imaginative way which allows the user to skip between sections at will. There’s very little which is technically groundbreaking, but the design just works really well. I especially like the way the Data Summary’s been put in the top right corner, always available but not dominating proceedings.
Campbell Soup
A worldwide food and drink manufacturer from the US .. not just soup any more!
Another great example of reworking a linear report into the more dynamic web environment. Specific data is embedded within the individual items and section headers have a java scroll of pertinent individual examples. My only quizzical moment is when realising a section header lists the contents both in the left sidebar and at the bottom of the page, the latter seeming to be unnecessary.
(Part 2 of this post will follow next week)
Which Logos are the Best Logos of All Time?
January 13, 2011
Creative Review magazine is asking its readers in over 80 countries to help them put together a list of the greatest logos of all time, which will be provided to a group of designers, experts, and academics who will narrow the list down to the 20 greatest logos ever. Those logos will be revealed in the April 2011 issue of Creative Review. You can add your votes for the best logo ever by leaving a comment on Creative Review or on Brand New.
The quest to identify the best logos of all time launched publicly this week, and already hundreds of people have added comments offering their opinions. Some of the top contenders from the population at large appear to be Nike, Apple, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s FedEx, Playboy and The Rolling Stones.
Of course, identifying the best logo is somewhat subjective, and well-known logos from big brands typically take the top spots in these types of ratings. However, it’s still a fun initiative. I’d love to see the top 20 list broken down into three separate lists though — top 20 logos overall, top 20 big name logos, and top 20 lesser-known logos. I think it’s more fun to find the diamonds in the rough — those logos the wider population might never see and the designs that don’t get the widespread recognition they deserve.
The logos that are getting an early buzz have a couple of elements in common, which I think are marks of the best, iconic logos — those that can stand the test of time. They are simple, and they use limited color palettes — one or two colors and that’s it.
Which logos do you think are the best ever and what do you think are the key elements of iconic logos? Leave a comment and share your thoughts, and don’t forget to add your votes on Creative Review.
Read more about logo design on Corporate Eye:
- Put Your Logo Through the One-Color Test
- History of the Apple Logo and Lessons Learned
- History of the IBM Logo – Is It Time for a Redesign?
- Most Relevant Brand Identity Work of the Decade
Sainsbury’s Values, CR Reports & the Corporate Website
January 11, 2011
What is your approach to supermarket shopping?
Some people go in with a list, and stick to it; others prefer to wander around the aisles to see what takes their fancy. For some, the supermarket run is an event, and they try out all the tastings, look for new items, and pick up leaflets; for others, it’s a chore, to be done as quickly as possible. I’m convinced that for a few, it is seen as a challenge: beating your personal best, whether this is time taken to complete your shopping, or price at the checkout.
But how many people pay attention to the corporate messaging which that supermarket run inevitably includes – and, in particular, to the messages about corporate responsibility?
Though we all see these corporate messages, how many of us really notice them? It isn’t always easy to communicate corporate messages in a retail arena, where people are naturally very product focused.
Paul Nixon (CEO at Corporate Eye) recently interviewed Ben Eavis, who heads up Corporate Responsibility (CR) for Sainsbury’s (one of the biggest supermarket chains here in the UK), and I’m delighted to be able to share this interview with you.
It’s fascinating – and wide-ranging, as they cover not only the changes in Sainsbury’s CR reporting, and how that affects the corporate website, but also social media, engaging influential CR bloggers, Fairtrade, the Ethical Trading Initiative, carbon-footprinting for dairy farmers and more…
You’ll also hear Thomas Knorpp, Digital Media Manager at Sainsbury’s, who tweets as @jsainsbury, and who is responsible for the corporate website, talking about how Sainsbury’s are using social media channels. The volume levels on Thomas’ voice were very low, so I’ve amplified those sections, and tried to cut out some of the noise. It’s not perfect, because I’m no sound engineer, but it is well worth listening to.
The references to Lucy? That’s me: coincidentally, in my domestic life, I’m one of the bloggers found by Sainsbury’s blogger outreach programmes.
I’ve broken the interview into smaller chunks, to make it easier for you to listen to the parts you’re most interested in – but the whole interview is also available, so you can listen to Paul and Ben discussing CR while you’re out running, or while you’re warming up those last few mince pies.
I’m sure you’ll enjoy it: it’s full of detail about Sainsbury’s approach to corporate responsibility and reporting. Thanks to Ben and Thomas for taking the time to share so much information with us.
Part 1: Communicating Corporate Values
Ben explains how their corporate values fit with Sainsbury’s retail business, and discusses the key communication challenges that supermarkets face and the prioritisation of communication channels.
Surprise point: there are potentially 300 sustainability touch-points for Sainsbury’s to consider. That’s a wide range of CR issues to consider: everything from the amount of salt and sugar in foods, to carbon footprinting, to working with farmers, to the impact on the local communities.
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Length: 4:45
Download: Sainsbury’s Part 1
Part 2: CR Reporting and the Corporate Website
Just how do you approach integrating your corporate social responsibility reporting and the corporate website? Often the CR section on the corporate site ‘is’ the CR report.
Sainsbury’s have a new approach to reporting: this section of the interview covers CR reporting, the issues around having both a retail and a corporate website, and ways to invite people arriving on the retail site – or on a social media site – back to the CR section to find out more detail.
Surprise point: Sainsbury’s provide their CR report in A6 format – pocket size – and give a copy to all their staff.
Listen for: Thomas explaining how he uses social media to connect the corporate values with the retail products
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Length: 5:04
Download: Sainsbury’s Part 2
Part 3: Getting Traffic to the CR Site
Ben talks about how they’ve increased traffic to their corporate CR site by adding interactivity, and by using Facebook, Twitter and their partners and advocates in other organisations to drive traffic. Also discussed: meeting the different needs of different audiences.
Listen for: Ben explaining how the change in frequency and style of CR reporting is boosting web traffic
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Length: 5:07
Download: Sainsbury’s Part 3
Part 4: Social Media and CR
Just how much time does social media take? And what about social media governance?
Paul and Ben discuss the benefits and potential difficulties in engaging with social media, building a CR community, identifying influencers and engaging with them both on and offline.
Listen for: Ben talking about the support network around Thomas as he engages in social media, and the significance of the corporate values.
Listen for: Thomas talking about just how much time he spends on social media, and how they spot influencers – not just on retail matters, but on corporate matters too, such as CR.
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Length: 13:00
Download: Sainsbury’s Part 4
Part 5: CR Issues, Initiatives and the Corporate Website
How does a company select which of the many possible CR issues and initiatives to target?
Paul and Ben talk about the process of identifying the issues that matter most to the corporate stakeholders, and about how to ensure that, once started, initiatives continue to be reported on via the corporate website.
Surprise point: your Nectar card isn’t just for points and targeted vouchers; it’s also used in stakeholder engagement.
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Length: 4:35
Download: Sainsbury’s Part 5
Part 6: Industry-wide CR Issues and Communication
Retail, like so many other industries, is highly competitive. How should one company react when another in the same industry has a crisis? And what about industry-wide issues?
Listen for: Ben talking about how the corporate value-set can help Sainsbury’s avoid potential issues.
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Length: 5:27
Download: Sainsbury’s Part 6
Part 7: CR Initiatives and Product Labelling
Paul and Ben talk about how Sainsbury’s helps farmers to become more efficient, by providing them with data about their own farm and about those of their peer group, and why Sainsbury’s believe that translating that kind of information into CR labelling (e.g airmiles, carbon footprint) doesn’t help consumers.
Listen for: Ben talking about working with their supply chain in partnership to address CR concerns.
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Length: 9:00
Download: Sainsbury’s Part 7
Interview in full
The whole interview is available too, and we’ve also provided a transcript for those of you who prefer to read.
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Length: 47:30
Download: Sainsbury’s Interview in full
Download transcript: Sainsbury’s Interview transcript
Who were we talking to?
Ben Eavis – Head of Corporate Responsibility, Sainsbury’s
Ben joined Sainsbury’s at the end of 2009 as the Head of Corporate Responsibility and Ethical Trading, to lead Sainsbury’s strategies in these areas. Ben previously worked at Burberry, where he was Director of Corporate Responsibility. Prior to Burberry, Ben worked as Group Social Policy Manager at spirit and wine company Allied Domecq and as the Commercial Manager for Glastonbury Festival. Ben has an MSc in Responsibility and Business Practice from the University of Bath and a BA honours degree in Geography from Sheffield University.
Thomas Knorpp – Digital Media Manager, Sainsbury’s
As Digital Media Manager at Sainsbury’s, Thomas manages the supermarket’s digital corporate communications strategy, focusing on digital media relations via the Sainsbury’s corporate website as well as blog, social networking and multimedia sharing platforms. Thomas joined Sainsbury’s in March 2010 from AOL, where he most recently headed up corporate communications for AOL Germany. Thomas holds a BA in Media and Cultural Studies from Macquarie University in Sydney and an MA in Media Administration from the Freie Universität Berlin.
CMOs Believe Comments are Most Important Corporate Blog Success Factor
January 11, 2011
According to research by Blog2Print of Fortune 1000 companies, approximately 1 in 4 companies have corporate blogs.
Respondents revealed that employees within the marketing department are usually charged with writing blog content followed by social media or blogging professionals, but the CEO typically determined the tone used in the blog. Interestingly, when CMOs in the study were asked what makes a great corporate blog, 46% cited an engaged community who publishes comments on blog posts as the number one factor. And when asked why they launched a corporate blog for their companies, 50% of surveyed CMOs stated “it’s the cost of doing business today.”
And therein lies the problem. The above findings from the Blog2Print study explain quite clearly why most corporations aren’t getting the results they want from social media marketing and content marketing efforts.
It’s important to remember that the best social media marketing strategies include a variety of branded online destinations where consumers can self-select how they want to engage with a brand. There is more to social media marketing success than generating a lot of blog comments. Of course, building relationships should always be one of the top priorities of any social media marketing plan, but blog comments represent a very small part of what makes a successful company blog in terms of building a brand and a business.
Social media marketing efforts cannot operate in silos. The best social media marketing strategy is a fully integrated strategy, not only between social media initiatives but also with traditional media efforts.
Bottom-line, don’t be tempted to judge your company blog on comments first. It’s very possible that your audience simply prefers to discuss your content on Twitter, on Facebook, or on another online destination. The trick is connecting with those people where they already spend time and slowly bringing them back to your own branded online destinations to consume more of your content and deepen relationships with you. Blogs don’t live on comments alone. Don’t short-change the potential of your blog to grow and the value it delivers to consumers if you’re not getting hundreds of comments each day.
What do you think are the most important factors that define a great corporate blog? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.
You can read more about the Blog2Print study on eMarketer.
Image: stock.xchng
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