Brand Autopsy reports on a second recent venture by Starbucks aimed at reclaiming much of what the brand has lost. While Starbucks' brand strategy was initially built on creating unique, intimate spaces in each of its locations, the demands of scaling up the company's operations required "homogenization," to put it kindly.

Now, Starbucks is looking for ways to get its soul back. How? By emulating the very "ma and pa" cafés it competes with to learn first hand what it is that draws customers to them.

It's quite a fascinating case of the shoe being on the other foot, or however that saying goes, and probably exactly what Starbucks needs to do. Good for them.