SBC = Seattle’s Brand Confusion
Seattle’s Best Coffee (SBC) was purchased by Starbucks Coffee seven years ago. Starbucks hasn’t done much with it except to ink distribution deals with Borders and few fast food companies.
On May 12, SBC launched a “brand reinvention” project. A new logo was revealed, a Facebook page was launched, and a very confusing tagline was unleashed, “The next big thing from Starbucks, isn’t Starbucks.”
Paul Williams, former long-time Starbucks marketer, shares his smart take on the confusing brand reinvention of Seattle’s Best Coffee. Give it a read.
And give this beyond confusing video a look. It’s on YouTube and the description only helps to amplify confusion…
Wait? Does SBC seriously think they can replace Starbucks as the universal symbol for great coffee?
There are so many more confusing elements… just watch the video and read Paul’s post on what went wrong and what should have gone right.
agree, confusingand unnecessarily so
I think they are being cannibalistic for no good reason like, how GM blurred the brands of Chevrolet/GM/etc.We all know what shape they are in now… I’m not seeing them create a bigger niche market for coffee. I hope they prove me wrong though! Would we miss Seattle’s Best Coffee?
“who were the ad geniuses that came up with this one?”