Following a wave of enormous expansion,
in 2007 Starbucks
found itself in decline

The company reacted by reinstating the values, culture and guiding principles of the original organization, pursuing a mission to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time. The brand aimed to enable ‘moments of connection’ between people, to empower individuals and communities.

This released a flurry of active innovations aimed at extending the potential for moments of connection

Personalized coffee, new health foods, digital communication aimed at reinforcing moments of connection in an intimate way, promotions that enriched the customer experience through deeper engagement. They even took their name off the logo to keep the focus on individuals – not Starbucks.

The stores themselves aimed to embody
‘the third space’ for the community – a space
for people to come together, minimizing environmental impact to benefit the broadest ‘community’. Customers are free to stay as long as they want, whatever their purchase, wifi in stores keeps people connected, and a suite of store designs creates the freedom for local interpretation while maintaining a central brand identity.

By focusing on being the enabler of personal connections, Starbucks has not only created
a suite of customer-focused activities – it has recast its brand identity as a facilitator of connection and community.