Starbucks Tries to Reconnect With Its Roots: Will It Work?

Just the previous week, I read from a Newsweek issue about how Starbucks sales have decreased, ever since it tried to introduce new fangled breakfast sandwiches and other non-coffee products. Supposedly it was because people saw that Starbucks was losing its focus on coffee and, because of that, the chain was becoming more "low-grade" in their eyes. So, in short, I guess Starbucks started to appeal less to everyone's inner snob.

As a result, Starbucks has recently made an effort to "reinvent" itself back into its retro-roots, focusing more on coffee and less on accessory.

And, after walking into a Starbucks the previous weekend, I've experienced this new campaign first hand. First off, I noticed the new/old logo (as seen above). Basically, Starbucks went back to their original logo (minus the exposed breasts) and, for those of you who are curious about this craze, here’s an interesting article that summarizes all this.

Starbucks' Retro Logo (Business Week)

Additionally, Starbucks introduced its new Starbucks Card, which, as mentioned in one of my previous entries, was quite a boon for coffee drinkers as a whole.

So, ultimately, is this retro effort by Starbucks a good thing?

Personally, I think so. For longest time, I was getting sick of this mega-corporation trying to monopolize the coffee industry by flaunting that pseudo-intellectual "coffee culture" image that so many people secretely hate. I was also really starting to tire of how Starbucks contributed to yuppy-cizing a resource that nearly all of us depend on, whether we're yuppies or not.

For a giant of that size to try to go back to their humble beginnings in some way, shape, or form is almost inspiring. But will this help Starbucks in the long run to get their profits back? Only time will tell. But if something like this is enough to convince a coffee-drinking curmudgeon, like me, to spend money on their new fangled card, this must mean that they're doing something right. Who knows? I might even someday consider preferring them over Dunkin Donuts. But, then again, how long did it take the Red Sox to finally beat the Yankees?