How Starbucks is using a special brown logo to evoke the chain’s beginnings and restore some goodwill for the brand

The new old logo: Starbucks is temporarily using a sanitized version of its original branding on new packaging.

Brown is certainly a color that communicates coffee. So, when you order a cup of the new Pike Place coffee at Starbucks (SBUX) this week, it doesn’t seem out of place to see a special brown logo on the cup and paper sleeve. Except that, as everyone knows, Starbucks’ iconic logo is green. So why change such a successful corporate symbol?

The image of the twin-tailed mermaid inside the brown medallion harkens back to the chain’s 1971 beginnings. The logo has evolved over the years, going from brown to green in 1987. This is the second time in three years Starbucks has trotted out the brown mermaid, inspired by a Norse woodcut. Back in 2006, she was resurrected to mark the chain’s 35th anniversary. This time, she is a messenger for Chairman Howard Schultz, who is trying to restore some of the goodwill and warm feelings for the brand that have gone by the wayside because of increasing coffee prices, machine-made lattes, and bad press.

Starbucks plans to use the logo on all its cups for about eight weeks. It will remain in ads and as the logo for Pike Place bags of coffee. The new blend, which will be available in every store, has been crafted for a smoother, cleaner finish than many of the rotating blends Starbucks has traditionally carried week to week. This was done to combat the chief criticism of the company’s coffee by reviewers, including Consumer Reports, that it tastes “burned.”

“Nostalgia Effort”

“Now that Howard Schultz is back at the helm, this is definitely a nostalgia effort and a strong push to get back to the core values of the company,” says Rob Giampietro of New York design firm Giampietro + Smith, referring to the reintroduction of an old icon. The tagline below the cup’s sleeve reads: “Roasting coffee since 1971.” Starbucks spokesperson Bridget Baker says, “It’s a good time to celebrate our heritage.”

Giampietro compares the move with those of baseball teams that have their players don throwback uniforms. The retro nods are meant to enliven the mood of patrons who, even while enjoying a visit to the ballpark, may resent paying $100 or more for a family of three to see a nine-inning game. “Old logos can engender a brand’s story and history, and spark or rekindle an emotional bond,” says independent Los Angeles-based marketing consultant Dennis Keene.

Tapping a logo change to convey a corporate strategy is not a fresh idea. In 2000, then-Ford CEO Jacques Nasser took the Ford Blue Oval logo off the headquarters building in Dearborn, Mich., and replaced it with a script rendering of “The Ford Motor Co.” that was also used in corporate advertising. The move was meant to convey that Ford (F) was not just blue-oval Ford products, but also Jaguars, Volvos, Land Rovers, and the myriad of other outfits Nasser was buying to diversify the company’s interests. After Bill Ford took over as CEO in 2001, he embarked on a strategy meant to take Ford “back to the basics.” He directed that the blue-oval Ford brand logo be rehung on the company’s building to convey that the brand was the one that would carry the corporation back to health. Ford has continued to struggle financially, but under a new CEO, Alan Mulally, the company has embarked on a worldwide reemphasis of the Ford blue-oval brand. In the meantime, it has sold Jaguar, Land Rover, and Aston Martin. “The move was done so no one inside the company, especially, would have any doubt about what brand will lead our recovery,” says Bill Ford, now chairman.

Giving Up Green?

Is there a danger that, by rolling out the old logo once again, Starbucks might overplay the authenticity card? “There is never a danger in reminding your employees or your customers of your authenticity as long as you also keep moving forward in new, surprising ways that are relevant to people,” says Brian Collins, principal of the New York-based strategic branding firm Collins:. “When it’s done right—and consistently—it can be the smartest way to market an established brand.”

It’s unlikely that Starbucks would ever consider going brown for good. The color is muddy and almost makes the cup look like it came from another company altogether. “As a color it’s so much less distinguished than the green, and the green conveys both a friendlier and more upscale image,” says Giampietro. “And it’s so Italian!” he adds, referring to Starbucks’ inspiration for the color, the Italian flag.

But Starbucks’ throwback logo is fodder for the bloggers: They’re poking fun at Schultz’s accommodation of conservative coffee drinkers. In the original logo, the twin-tailed Greek mermaid showed her navel and bare breasts. In 2006, when the logo was originally revived, the chain received complaints about the “decency” of the logo and, despite the chairman’s well-known liberal politics, the lady grew long hair to cover her indecency. That’s the version we have today. Italians would never have given in—or complained in the first place.

TAKEN FROM www.businessweek.com

Permanent Insurance Explained

Life insurance comes in two types – temporary and permanent. Most people have some type of temporary insurance either as a term insurance policy, mortgage insurance, or group insurance policy (likely through work or an association plan like an automobile club). Some also have permanent insurance either in the form of whole life, insurance, universal life insurance, or Term to 100 Insurance. This article will discuss the purpose of Permanent insurance with some examples as well as considerations when purchasing it as well as 4 money saving tips.

Permanent insurance is used for estate planning and retirement planning. The primary difference here is that the need is not temporary and you want the insurance to pay when you die – hopefully at a very senior age. About 40% of insurance sold is permanent insurance. In this case, many clients did not know they had a need until we had spent considerable time discussing what these people wanted to have happen on their death and discovered some major differences between what they thought would happen and what would really happen.

While saving taxes was an important issue, in many cases it was not the most important. Some other issues we addressed was how to structure things so that a second wife of husband would not strip out assets they wanted their current children to get, ensuring that if a child married and it did not work out that the inheritance was still with their child. The reasons for choosing this type of insurance follows

To ensure you spouse will have sufficient money to retire even if you spend more than anticipated during your retirement - this was my reason for purchasing a permanent policy “I wanted to ensure that my wife or spouse has sufficient cash when I die to enjoy her retirement regardless of what we spend in retirement”

To guarantee that you will leave some money to children – it goes to them tax free and probate free if the beneficiaries are set up properly.

To leave money to a charity – there are some very interesting tax strategies around charitable giving. Please email me for a brochure on this issue.

A major use is to provide money to pay capital gains or estate taxes so that your beneficiaries can keep the assets or property on your death and not have to sell some to pay the taxes. This does not apply to your spouse in most cases as assets flow to them tax free.

Part of a tax planning strategy to transfer money in an RRSP (Canadian) which will be taxed at over 40% on death to an insurance policy that will pass tax free to the designated beneficiaries on death with no probate or executor fees. This is frequently done as part of the previous strategy for covering capital gains taxes – I have an article on this with an example using a joint last to die policy.

Maximize your pension. Many of those who have pensions will need to decide whether they want to set it up so their spouses will continue to get a pension (about 66 to 75% of your pension) when you die. Obviously, the pension will be a lot less if you choose this option as the Pension Plan will have to pay out money for a longer period of time. For many, there are advantages to taking the higher pension (where it stops when you die) and purchasing a life insurance policy with some of the difference which will provide a pool of capital when you die and your spouse to live on. I can email you more information on this if you wish.

Business owners use Universal Life Policies for a developing a corporate pension plan that is very tax advantaged

Business owners can also use a Universal Life Policy to get retained earnings out of a company tax favoured basis

These are just a few of the uses for Permanent Policies. They can also be set up so that premiums are only paid for a set number of years – usually 1 to 20 years after which the policy is fully paid up or there is sufficient funds in it to pay the premiums for life. Term to 100 Insurance is frequently used when all you want is a basic permanent insurance policy that you pay for until you die and then the beneficiary collects the money. It is usually the cheapest solution for this need.

Whole life has been around for years but has been replaced by Universal Life Insurance in most cases. Please refer to the article on the difference between Universal and Whole Life policies for more information.

Money Saving Tip 1: Permanent policies frequently have assumptions about the returns you will get within the policy for Universal Life or dividends for whole life. These are generally not guaranteed so be careful that they are reasonable and that you understand that if they are not achieved, the outcome could be very different from the illustration. Ask to see several illustrations with different assumptions so you understand what could happen.

Money Saving Tip 2: Universal Life Policies also have various bonuses built in that can increase the returns by 1.5% or more under certain circumstances. These circumstances usually relate to how much you are putting into the policy (referred to as funding), and how long the policy has been in effect. There are very significant differences between companies so ask to see illustrations from several companies.

Money Saving Tip 3: Universal Life Policies may have an opportunity to purchase riders like Critical Illness or Long Term Care Insurance and term insurance. There can be some real tax advantages to doing this if you are able to over fund the policy or you have a large amount to put into the policy to start. The funds inside a universal life grow with no taxes on the profits. If you are paying for these other policies with funds outside a Universal Life policy you need to pay taxes on the income before you pay the premiums.

Money Saving Tip 4: A few companies now offer preferred rates for Universal Life Policies and if you qualify, the savings can be very significant. Check out a typical qualifying questionnaire for Preferred Insurance. Also some companies consider pipe and cigar smokers to be non smokers.

While some uses of Permanent Insurance, such as providing extra cash for a loved one, is relatively straight forward, the use of an independent life insurance broker for most situations is recommended as many options are generally not known to the general public and even financial professionals like accountants and lawyers may not be familiar with some of them.

These types of policies have some real benefits and should be considered. You are about to sign up to pay a lot of money for a number of years so ensure you get good advice. If your term insurance policy is convertible, you can convert to a universal life policy without a medical.

See for yourself. Get a life insurance quote now.

Yesterday, Idiscussed the first three points in Anna Goldsmith’s (http://www.copyblogger.com/freelance-writing-career/)article in Copyblogger, of course taken in the blogger context. Let’s proceed to point number 4:

4. Don’t watch TV in the middle of the day.

My blogging gigs are related to pop culture. Not being situated in the United States yet targeting that market, I have to constantly be in the know of the latest news about my niche. Watching television in the middle of the day helps me become abreast of what’s the newest happenings around the globe.

Advantage of my System: I pick up lots of ideas along the way. By watching news and documentaries, I’m making sure I’m up to date with the most recent headlines. It also pays off watching a variety of subjects because I get my best ideas from them randomly.

Disadvantage of my System: I do tend to get hooked up on watching TV especially when what I’m watching turns out to be highly interesting. Sometimes, I get too enamored into watching the next few shows that I end up being behind in work.

5. But do go out to lunch.

If there is one point the original article made that I couldn’t agree with more, it’s this. We need to unwind every once in a while. Although I very rarely actually “go out” literally, I do tend to rest and take it easy now and then, especially on weekends. While it’s important to update your blogs regularly, you’ll have days when you feel drained, and don’t be afraid to take an off day when you’re really feeling under the weather.

Advantage of my System: I get to recharge and get new perspectives from totally unrelated things. By resting for a while, I face the world blogging with a new eye every time. That’s needed to be able to maintain your readers’ interest and at the same time keep your edge.

Disadvantage of my System: I do tend to miss some days whenever I feel too ill to even think of blogging. There are also some days when I sacrifice posting to have lunch with friends or spend some time with family. But really, in the end, it’s all worth it.

With MY take on the points in the original article analyzed, here are some tips on how you can implement the guidelines if and when you really want to:

1. Create a division between work and home.

If you can’t afford a separate office like me, a makeshift office somewhere quiet would also do. If you have a laptop, you can relocate to a part of your house with nobody in it as often as you can. You can also arrange a schedule with the people in your house. Ask them if they could keep the noise down when you start working at a particular hour.

2. Take off your pajamas.

Make it a habit to change into “work clothes” before you even sit in front of your computer. Your work clothes don’t have to be business attire, just something which could put you in a “zone” meant for work.

3. Get to work on time.

If you’re really determined to start working on a schedule, then adjust everything in your timeframe to accommodate it. If you have to sleep during the way so you can work on a particular hour in the night, then do so. Try to reverse or adjust your body clock during one weekend so you can start working on your time of preference when the week starts again.

4. Don’t watch TV in the middle of the day.

If you really don’t want to watch TV in the middle of the day, make sure the room you’re working in doesn’t have one. If it does, take it out for good. You could also change your office location if you like.

5. But do go out to lunch.

When arranging your schedule for the week, ensure that you’ve listed time for play there somewhere. While it’s good to keep busy with blogging, there are a lot more important things in life that you better not take for granted.

Holy Crap: First 150-Inch Lifescreen Plasma Photos 

We’ve got the first shots of the 150-inch Panasonic Lifescreen Plasma. It’s not just a 1080p TV, it’s BEYOND HDTV, at 2k x 4k resolution. It makes the Panasonic president look tiny.
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/big-tv-watch/holy-crap-first-150inch-lifescreen-plasma-photos-341633.php

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