How to brand culture

Here is an excellent article about Starbucks and its move into music, books, and film.

It's relevant to this blog because many local music scenes aspire to branding themselves, but for the most part don't do a good job of it.

Much of the problem stems from lack of focus. Compilation CDs, for example, featuring local artists are often a jumble of different genres and quality. Other than location there's nothing to tie them all together.

Starbucks has a well-defined image of its core customer ("educated, with an average age of 42 and an average income of $90,000") and its own brand and uses culture to reinforce both. “'Customers say one of the reasons they come is because they can discover new things — a new coffee from Rwanda, a new food item. So extending that sense of discovery into entertainment is very natural for us. That’s all part of the Starbucks experience,' said Anne Saunders, senior vice president of global brand strategy and communications."

The Starbucks Aesthetic - New York Times: "THE more cultural products with which Starbucks affiliates itself, the more clearly a Starbucks aesthetic comes into view: the image the chain is trying to cultivate and the way it thinks it reflecting its consumer."