Brand Facelifts in Pictures

Thanks to Forbes, they recently released a fabulous article: “Marketers Have Makeover Madness: Brands get bright new looks in dark times.” They’ve included before & after pictures of branding identities. One of the biggest trends I’m noticing is the use of more white space. If done tastefully, it can be very effective. Here are a few examples of products that have undergone a facelift:

Snapple

Trix Cereal

Check out the changes in the full photo essay at Forbes.com.

Check out this comprehensive photo compilation of more before & after logos of major national brands over at WeFunction.com.

Pepsi’s Not-so-new Logo

Photo caption credit goes to: Lawrence Yang '09

When Pepsi revealed their new logo in 2008, the general public had something to say about it. Many have speculated that Pepsi is taking Apple’s approach with the logo coming across as airy, crisp, and simple. PepsiCo has done a great job of re-branding the Pepsi logo over the years and should be thankful that it has not faced backlash like their Tropicana orange-juice brand. However, I, as well as many others feel that the product packaging of PepsiCo’s soda beverage market could be better designed, but I’ve already expressed my discontentment with that. I do know that Pepsi’s logo does not rub me the wrong way like Kraft foods’ new corporate logo. Overall, I’m okay with the stand-alone logo without the “pepsi” text. What’s your opinion?

Check out the very informative and interesting article by John McWade: “Does Pepsi’s New Logo Work?” hosted on DesignTalk over at Before & After: How to Design Cool Stuff. He talks about how Pepsi measures up to Coca-Cola’s success over the decades.

Starbucks to Offer Instant Coffee

Rumor has it that Starbucks will be introducing instant coffee to its Seattle and Chicago stores on March 3rd, 2009 and its London stores on March 25th, 2009. In addition to these stores, it will also be available at Target and Costco with the end goal of having the instant coffee available in all 26,000 stores worldwide by Fall 2009.

Starbucks is calling it “Starbucks Via Ready Brew,” which has apparently been in development for 20 years. Starbucks’ chief executive, Bill Schultz hailed it as, “Everything about this coffee stands up to the test of time… This is not your mother’s instant coffee.” A pretty bold statement for a pretty bold company. I think with instant coffee being a 17 billion-dollar-a-year industry, it’s a wise business decision to tap into these markets.

A pilot program for Starbucks instant coffee is definitely the way to go. With their brand being so universally well-known, it’s important to approach marketing a product with caution. What do you think?

Find out more from:

The Consumerist “Starbucks Instant Coffee To Debut In Seattle, Chicago”

Wall Street Journal Market Watch: “Starbucks has high hopes for its instant coffee”

International Herald Tribune: “Starbucks Coffee now in an instant”

Coffee Lids Revisited: McDonald’s

Photos Louise Harpman and Scott Specht.

When I first blogged about the Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks Coffee Lids, I explained that I rate beverage product packaging based on the ability to function well while traveling. This morning, I took advantage of McDonald’s free medium cup of coffee special for the month of February (I would link to a reputable article about it, but it appears that the McDonalds’ marketing team decided to promote this deal purely through viral marketing).

After the McDonald’s employee handed me my coffee cup, I realized that the lid has no hole — that is, until I’m ready to puncture it to consume my coffee. While one consumer complained that the lid does not allow for safe slurping of hot beverages, I beg to differ. The lid does well in traveling safely without spilling coffee. My new rating for beverage product packaging, with #1 being the best, is:

1) Dunkin Donuts

2) McDonald’s

3) Starbucks

Judging from the comments and other blogs on the web, it seems like many people have an opinion about the design and functionality of coffee lids. Which one do you think is more important? Design or functionality?

For further reading, check out this article, “Peel, Pucker, Pinch, Puncture.” A little outdated, but offers an extensive analysis of what should go into the engineering of lid design.