Name dropping

Starbucks seems to be one of those Marmite brands that you either love to bits or hate with a vengeance. So anything the brand does attracts plenty of comment.

In March 2011, Starbucks will be rolling out its new logo in a re-brand. Most of the comment from Starbucks themselves (aka Howard Schulz) has surrounded the dropping of the word "coffee" from the logo. In a rather cryptic sentence (not helped by its strange grammatical construction), Mr Schulz reveals:

"Even though we have been and always will be a coffee company and retailer, it's possible that we'll have other products with our name on it but no coffee in it."

What is particularly baffling is that there is no "coffee" or name - Starbucks - on the new logo. Now, I expect the Starbucks lovers will say that this is the ultimate show of confidence from the global brand - that they are so well known, who needs a name? (The" artist-formerly-known-as" approach).

But the anti-Starbucks brigade will retort that this is nothing more than defensiveness or even shame surrounding the S-word.

Who's right? I suppose it all depends on whether your Starbucks coffee is half-empty or half-full.