Starbucks leads the Church in branding faith?
Not everyone is a coffee lover. But I bet even those that don’t frequent the coffee franchise for a mocha latte or a Grande
  Espresso Truffle |
are familiar with the company. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world with 15,012 stores in 44 countries. Their brand is extremely well known and easily recognizable. This post isn’t about their stats though. I’d like to chat about their religion. One thing that most Starbucks addicts may not have noticed is that Starbucks is proselytizing their faith?
Coffee as a religion? Yeah, exactly. Religion is simply a set of beliefs. These values drive their decision making and quide the way they do business. Everyone has faith because faith is simply placing your trust in someone or something. The question isn’t whether you have faith or not, but what have you put your faith in. Thus, we have companies like Starbucks who are now leveraging the power of “faith” to grow their customer base.
I recently put up a post sharing about Phil Cooke’s new book “Branding Faith”. A must read for any Christian in leadership, especially those in charge of communication. Phil argues that corporate brands have overtaken the Church as the driving force in today’s culture. Branding has become the new religion of our generation. Starbucks is a corporation that is leading our culture – economically and spiritually.
Check out their latest campaign slogan for the Christmas holidays. “We believe it’s better to give and receive.” Did you catch that subtle change of words? “to give and receive” rather than “to give than receive” With this campaign they are donating 5 cents to the Global Fund for every cup of RED signature drinks.
“Every time you buy a RED exclusive drink we give 5 cents to the Global Fund to help save lives.”
Actually, I think it’s a brilliant idea. They back it up to. Visit this entire web site they established to move this intiative forward.Starbucks Shared Planet They’re not kidding around. It’s almost like they really believe this stuff. And truthfully they do… as well as millions of their customers. Their campaign works because it’s more than a slogan, it’s a story. A powerful and compelling story that connects with millions of Americans who really do want to make a difference in this world. There lies the power of their brand.
Can the Church learn from this? Or maybe I should ask, will the Church learn from this? Is it possible for the Church to be known for what they are doing to make the world a better place – rather then for what they are against? After all, that is the brand that most people are aware of when it comes to their perception of Christians. Will we work to change that perception?
Now I need a strong espresso. I’m meeting a pastor tomorrow to chat about the future of the Church and what is emerging as the leading trends for ministry. Yep, that’s right. We are meeting at Starbucks. Now that’s a latte think about.