• Brandweek, Friday, May 14, 2010 10:18 AM

Elaine Wong chats with Seattle's Best Coffee president Michelle Gass and Robson Grieve, managing director at Creature, the agency that worked on the rebranding of the Starbucks' brand announced this week. Changes include a simpler logo and the tagline "Great coffee everywhere" that are intended to create a global identity for the Seattle's Best.

"We need a brand that reflects our values, and the ones I'm speaking about are fun, optimism, simplicity and mobility and also showing that with great design," says Gass. "When you see Seattle's Best Coffee and all of our marketing, you'll get a very clear picture of what we stand for.

Gass says Seattle's Best intends to innovate in new channels and in how it delivers coffee, including new partnerships and "refreshing our approach to our retail stores and our new products." One example are the ready-to-drink iced latte products it has introduced in West Coast grocery, convenience and retail stores.

New "fun and simple" advertising that will create a conversation with consumers is also on the way, according to Gass. But she may not like what she hears. The Seattle Times "Coffee City" blog is conducting a readers' poll about the redesign. Of nearly 2,000 responses as of this morning, only 19% say they "love the sleek new lines"; 13% aren't sure and a whopping 69% say, "they should try again."

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