Posts Tagged ‘authenticity’
CSR value for B2B brands
By Sasha Strauss, as part of the Guest Blogger Series
Is there value in developing a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program for a business to business organization? Absolutely.
It is clear that CSR activities can have a tremendous impact on brand image. Yet, when poorly executed, they can give clients the impression that a company’s efforts aren’t only inauthentic, but a brand promotion ploy. Without understanding and addressing the elements needed to create a natural connection between CSR actions and their host brand, activities could actually backfire and cause identity damage.
So what is required to prevent a CSR initiative from being a “me too”? (more…)
Starbucks’ latest branding decision: a tall, grande, or venti mistake?
by Rob Meyerson, RiechesBaird
You’ve probably heard by now that Starbucks is abandoning its own brand name at an existing Seattle location, replacing it with the descriptive “15th Ave E Coffee & Tea.” This is part of what may become a nationwide “un-branding campaign,” in the words of the Huffington Post’s Marc Gunther. Starbucks made the announcement weeks ago, and so far, consumer reactions are mixed.
The driving forces behind this decision seem clear: declining sales, due in large part to the global recession (trading in expensive espresso for cheap home-brewed coffee is an easy budget cut for most), and growing resentment due to perceived monopolization—”those unique [local coffeehouses]…being beaten out of business by big nasty Starbucks,” as Kit Eaton put it in Fast Company. These two challenges are in no way specific to Starbucks, and are in fact hurdles frequently faced by many successful brands in a range of industries (Microsoft and Google—including their business-to-business efforts—are two easy examples). (more…)