I recently read an article online (sorry — no link... it was a while ago) about how several mainstay food companies — Kraft, Bird's Eye, etc. — have begun marketing the frugality of their products, complete with recipes for delicious, dirt-cheap meals. They're positioning themselves as fitting right in with the average consumer's concerns in this down economy. And since it's not going anywhere anytime soon, that's really smart (and relatively easy to do when you already sell boxes of macaroni for 89 cents).

But imagine for a moment that you're a different kind of food retailer: a retailer that everyone has come to love — nay, physically depend on, but that was born in an economic climate of excess and personal luxury. Imagine that you're Starbucks.

There's a great article here by Jon Talton of the Seattle Times on the dilemma they find themselves in. He wonders if Starbucks isn't just "an artifact of an economy that's not coming back." Ouch.

You know, it's not just the designer coffee industry that could be easily associated with the boom years of the late 90s and 00s. Everyone from realtors to restauranteurs, jewelers and car dealers are now being looked upon with a suspicious gaze that seems to say, "you want HOW MUCH for THIS?"

I don't have to tell you that this economy has already killed plenty of great companies, along with their great brands. And I'd be lying if I didn't tell you that I've been known to privately predict the fall of Starbucks in hypothetical economic circumstances much like our present.

So what is your brand doing about it? Time is of the essence. Every day that Starbucks adds another gimmicky item to their menu to entice you to get that $6 20-oz. beverage is another day you're getting a McMocha instead.

Meyer & Wallis has been called a turnaround specialist before and loved it. We love taking dying brands — not dying because of the quality of the product but dying because of the industry's changing landscape — and surprising everyone by reviving the brand to become a leader in its category. Don't believe us? Call. We'd love to talk examples with you.