What Will Starbucks Do Next?

Earlier, I wrote about how the Starbucks experience is starting to show signs of wear and tear. In fact, just the other day I was in one of the million Starbucks near my office and thought to myself that the wood and materials they used to build the space looked cheaper and more mass produced that I remember. The "experience" that Howard Schultz speaks so often about seems to have morphed from wood to laminate. We Americans seem to have a way of building brands (and people) to levels and then tearing them down - think of all the brands that were once high-flyers, brands that our parents and grandparents thought would always be with them - the same way we think about Starbucks, Wal-mart or Target.

Is it any wonder that the Starbucks stock is down almost 40% this year with profits up, but traffic down? I think people are burnt out on Starbucks. I know I am. The menu, the array of selections and, frankly, the entire brand identity has worn on me. Will I still stop by and grab a cup? Sure. But when possible, I will stop at smaller, independent coffee shops that understand what it means to deliver AN AUTHENTIC experience that doesn't seem replicated or contrived. And, the coffee is usually better.

My thoughts for Starbucks would be to experiment with new store features that allows the store environ to not feel cold, cookie-cutter and delivers on the sense of community that Starbucks always talks about. The key for them will be to maintain their culture, their authenticity and what helped them get to this level of success. All really hard to do for any company. I would love to walk into a Starbucks concept store that felt more like an independent, not one of the millions that exist. But, in keeping with the brand's essence have brand cues that make the common thread of the experience the same throughout the world.