Branding for Tangible ROI

Two coffee cups walk into a bar … One cup gets star treatment. Joe, great to see you again! What can I get for YOU today? The other coffee cup gets ignored.

What happened there? Return On Investment …. The “star” treatment was given to the well branded cup called Starbucks. Both cups are “just coffee”, a commodity… the difference is one cup is “branded” and has immediate recognition as something special.

Let’s look closer

Starbucks Mission and Vision Statement

Mission –

“to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.”

Vision –

to “treat people like family, and they will be loyal and give their all.”

So when the cup with the famous crowned mermaid icon walked into that bar … they were immediately recognized as a “trusted friend”. That is well crafted branding and design at work. Nothing needed to be said, no elevator pitch because the cup had invested in “branding” and the ROI was rolling in: Loyalty, Trust, Differentiation, Positioning, Clarity.

Branding is a well spent piece to your ROI. Have you invested in your brand recently?