The Brand Chick

And, as of this morning, so do 10,210,112 other people on Facebook, making Starbucks the first consumer brand to reach the 10m Facebook fan (a.k.a. "likes") mark.

Reaching this height of Facebook popularity puts Starbucks at the cool kid table along with Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, Vin Diesel (really?) and Barack Obama, also members of the 10 mm+ club.

As I read the wall of the Starbucks page, it became all too obvious that people really do love this brand. But, as I searched the tabs, I couldn't help but wonder if Starbucks is missing a major opportunity to interact with their brand-loyal customers.  

Starbucks card holders can monitor their account through a link (I guess that could be cool), and they post events under the "events" tab from time to time (like the Frappuccino Happy Hour event...back in May).

But, where's the brand-to-consumer interaction? Where's the intimacy?

We like you Starbucks. Don't you like us, too?

Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) have officially unveiled their new, multi-channel national brand initiative with hopes of reaching a new generation of girls.

Kathy Cloninger, Chief Executive Officer of GSUSA, stated in a recent news release sent out by the organization that "a revitalized and energized brand is absolutely essential for (the Girl Scouts) and our future growth."

The makeover includes a new visual identity, including a reworked Girl Scouts trefoil mark and logo, along with a revised color palette that uses a more vibrant shade of green.



I applaud their efforts in refreshing the color palette so as to avoid the "left out on the picnic table all summer" look that Laurel Richie, Chief Marketing Officer of GSUSA, mentioned to ABC News earlier this month.

And, I personally appreciate the subtle design changes to the iconic trefoil mark that everyone knows so well.

All-in-all, I believe this was a well executed rebrand for the organization. They managed to update their look without abandoning their heritage.

What do you think of the Girl Scouts' new look?

In Memphis, 1 child in 4 lives below the poverty line.

A startling statistic?

Yes.

And did you know that Shelby County is home to 18% of all children under 5 in Tennessee?

It's true.

Why am I telling you this?

Because most marketers are fascinated by statistics.

But primarily because I love my city. And I love to highlight people and programs that are doing their part to help give Memphis that image makeover I referred to in my last post.

Enter Dolly Parton. Yes, the country music singer of 9 to 5 fame.


A local Memphian she's not, but she is a Tennessean. And because of her, books have become an important part of the lives of children in 500 communities in 40 states, including that 1 in 4 mentioned above.

Back in 1996 she founded the Imagination Library, a program that gives children of all socioeconomic backgrounds access to books and aims to inspire parents to read to their children.

As soon as my little one was born I signed her up. (I tried to sign her up before she was born, but you have to have an actual date of birth to register. Details, details.)

Every month since birth, my daughter has received a new book. And she will continue to receive a new book each month until she starts kindergarten.

That's a lot of books, people! And a lot of precious mommy-daughter reading time.

The books are beautifully illustrated classics that are carefully selected with your child's age in mind.

She got this one in the mail last week:

Illustration by Julia Rothman


I love my city, but as a branding professional, I'll be the first to admit that Memphis is in serious need of an image makeover.