Go Green for FREE Coffee

By Kristen Seabolt

Being a good neighbor is what Starbucks is all about. Ever since they opened their doors 40 years ago, Starbucks has done their part to create thriving neighborhoods and make positive change happen in the communities they do business in. This includes helping to reduce our collective carbon footprint.

In honor of Earth Day 2011, Starbucks has decided to thank their neighbors who do their part, and encourage others to do the same. All day tomorrow, Friday April 22, customers can stop by their local Starbucks with a travel mug and receive a FREE freshly brewed coffee or tea.

Last year, Starbucks saved more than one million plastic cups on Earth Day, and in order to minimize their carbon footprint, they have set a goal this year to make 100% of their iconic white cups recyclable and to serve 25% of beverages made in stores in reusable cups by 2015.

Using social media to promote the event, Starbucks is encouraging all 21 million Facebook fans and 1.5 million Twitter followers to RSVP to their “Get a Free cup of Coffee on Earth Day” event and to change their profile photos to pictures of their travel mugs to share the word with friends. So far, close to 185,000 customers will be attending. Including me!

In addition to free coffee tomorrow, all of Starbucks’ travel mugs will be 20 percent off, and throughout the year, any customer who brings in a travel mug will receive 10 cents off their order.

What a great way to get your free caffeine fix AND do your part to reduce your carbon footprint! Stop by Starbucks tomorrow and don’t forget your mug!

“One person can save trees, together we can save forests.”

Kristen Seabolt is an Associate Account Executive at Maroon PR. Contact her at Kristen@MaroonPR.com.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it

By Tim Richardson

Human beings are creatures of habit, period. We like our normal routines, the comfort that we find when the stars align for us. Tradition, normalcy – all things that help us get through the day-to-day challenge of a thing called “life.”

So when brands that we are loyal to and swear by decide to do anything that adversely impacts our routine, we don’t like it. Yes, I’m talking to you Starbucks.

For those who are unfamiliar with what the fuss is about, let me bring you up to speed. In March 2011, Starbucks will celebrate its 40th anniversary. Earlier this month, the company announced that, as part of that milestone, it was removing the words “Starbucks Coffee” from its signature green logo so its mermaid, or “Siren” icon, was more prominent. Say what?

Loyal Starbucks’ customers (like this one) do not like the new logo. In my opinion, the new design looks like the artwork is incomplete. The company says the change is part of a marketing plan that involves making Starbucks about more than just coffee. Okay??? Talk about forgetting “what got you there.” Consumers used words like “tacky” and “unprofessional” when venting their frustration on the company’s Facebook page. Additionally, nine different Facebook groups or pages in opposition to the new logo were created. Starbucks is an international brand and removing that key word in the logo is puzzling to me.

We’ve all heard the axiom, “if it ain't broke, don't fix it.” Just ask the Coca-Cola Company and GAP how it went for them when they ignored this idiom.

Let’s start with Coke. On April 23, 1985, the company changed its 99-year old formula and introduced a “new coke” to the public; a move that many experts still refer to as the “marketing blunder of the century.”

The company was inundated with calls from unhappy customers, and estimated receiving around 1,500 calls a day on its consumer hot line…compared to the standard 400 the day before the change was announced. Consumers were not happy that the company, despite the fact that it owns the product, took “their” Coke away. Coca-Cola conceded and returned to a variation of the old formula, under the name “Coca-Cola Classic” in July 1985. That day, the Coca-Cola Company received over 30,600 positive calls on their hot line. New Coke is no longer available.

A more recent example of why not to rock the boat involves one of the world's largest specialty retailer, Gap, Inc. In early October 2010, the company changed its well-recognized logo. The very uninspired new look debuted quietly on the company’s website, but was met with immediate displeasure from consumers and the media. The negative outcry caused the company to scrap the new logo just one week after unveiling it. Gap President Marka Hansen admitted that is was “an ill-conceived rollout” and the company expressed regret for the anger the move triggered in its loyal consumers.

At the end of the day, we are simple people who like things the way we are accustomed to having them. We don’t just drink the product, eat the food or wear the clothing; we feel a connection to it. It’s more than a brand for many of us, it’s a sense of comfort in a hectic world.

Tim Richardson is Executive Vice President at Maroon PR. Contact him at Tim@MaroonPR.com