Prior to a meeting at Starbucks yesterday I was reading an interview with Howard Schultz in Inc. magazine (a previous Brand Champion of the Day). During my reading I realized that while I have written many posts about Starbucks (the majority very positive), I have not dedicated a BCD post to its leader. Today I make up for that oversight.
In the interview Schultz says, "The customer today is very well informed. In addition to price and convenience, there's something else they are influenced by, and that's what the company stands for: how it treats its employeed and its customers. We've found that consumers are willing to walk another block and potentially spend a little bit more for companies where values they truly trust." Schultz goes on to say, "The most importnt aspect of our company is our culture."
Amen to that. To me branding is the process of aligning an organization's internal culture with its external reputation. Too many organizations do not pay enough attention to culture. That is in large part due to their marketing staff. Let us call them Mad Men. It is not their fault. They were trained to think external only. They were led to believe that branding is marketing, and that marketing is advertising. It is so refreshing to see and hear a CEO get it!
I look forward to cracking Schultz' new book this weekend. Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life Without Losing Its Soul. Sounds like a fun read. I anticipate I will be reading it from local Starbucks.Thank Howard, or should I say, Mr. Brand Champion of the Day?
Nice topic and post, as we were just talking about what things can happen in the medicine industry.
Posted by: MBT Online | August 02, 2011 at 05:33 AM