RESEARCH / STARBUCKS & THE THIRD PLACE
More than a coffee.
A place to belong.
A brand strategy study exploring the gap between Starbucks’s third-place promise and an experience increasingly shaped by speed and standardization.
01 / THE QUESTION
What happens when a familiar place feels different?
The project examined the relationship between Starbucks’s brand promise and the sense of community associated with its original third-place identity: a place to spend time outside home and work.
02 / THE APPROACH
Connect the brand to the experience.
Competitive analysis, a brand UX audit, and market research informed a proposed repositioning. The work considered both the customer experience and the social media strategy used to communicate it.
03 / THE DIRECTION
Sip. Stay. Relax.
The proposed rebrand concept centered on a return to community and slower coffee culture. Its positioning invited people to linger, work, and connect. This was a research-informed concept, rather than an implemented Starbucks rebrand.
DESIGN IMPLICATION
A brand promise becomes meaningful through the experience of being there.
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