This is very much in line with what i was talking about y'day. Well, sort of! Last night, i read this on Yahoo news :). Actually, i didn't completely read it then-and thought oh, well! this is about some local budding desi coffee shop naming themselves Starstrucks and trying to give Starbucks a tough time by sort of copying their name! I looked at this news in detail today morning, and was even more surprised who was behind this idea. I was shocked to learn that it was Shahnaz Husain, the queen of herbal cosmetics world!
As such, this whole idea didn't please me much. And not because i go to Starbucks a lot. Well, we all know that Starbucks is now trying to set up shop in India, and this comes close on the heels! If you think your product is great, why not provide them competition in the right spirit, based entirely on the merit of your products. And coming from such a well respected person, this makes the whole news even more pungent! I wonder how she would feel if someone tried to market herbal products which had a brand name similar sounding to her own brand.
If anything, this might actually hurt her business. Most irritating is that she is not willing to change the name. Quoted below is her response (Courtesy Yahoo News/Reuters):
I personally would have thought of her venturing into the Cafe' chain business as an interesting move-go to her brand salons, get a spa treatment and enjoy coffee with your friends! It would have certainly made some news and people would definitely have lapped up the concept-its sad to see her making into news of the wrong kind!
Enough said!
As such, this whole idea didn't please me much. And not because i go to Starbucks a lot. Well, we all know that Starbucks is now trying to set up shop in India, and this comes close on the heels! If you think your product is great, why not provide them competition in the right spirit, based entirely on the merit of your products. And coming from such a well respected person, this makes the whole news even more pungent! I wonder how she would feel if someone tried to market herbal products which had a brand name similar sounding to her own brand.
If anything, this might actually hurt her business. Most irritating is that she is not willing to change the name. Quoted below is her response (Courtesy Yahoo News/Reuters):
Why should I give it up? Hundreds of others are deceptively similar. What to do? They have opposed and we will fight."
I personally would have thought of her venturing into the Cafe' chain business as an interesting move-go to her brand salons, get a spa treatment and enjoy coffee with your friends! It would have certainly made some news and people would definitely have lapped up the concept-its sad to see her making into news of the wrong kind!
Enough said!
15 comments:
Interesting post! I used to work in the trademark field, and this is clearly a case of a brand name that may cause confusion in the mind of consumers (especially since the products are in the same class of goods). Then again, my experience with the Indian Patent and Trademark Office has been HORRIBLE! They actually misspelled one of our client's trademarks (and really, what is the point of an incorrectly spelled trademark) and then told us it would take TWO years to correct! Such red tape.
Anyway, hopefully they will be more efficient in this case.
Then again, I really hate Starbucks!
(Naina and I had some amazing coffee this weekend from some wannabe-hipster place up north, and it was amazing compared to the tepid, powdered concoctions Starbucks offers!)
Thanks for the insightful comment, Ansour. I can understand your frustration with the system back home!
Now, i don't much hate Starbucks, because i have spent some wonderful time having coffee with my friends there :). My reasons for going to Starbucks are so not coffee related ;). and i always end up having a Starbucks very close to my work place :)).
Having said that, the best coffee is freshly ground and brewed in my book. Especially the home made one (with Upma and spicy chutney to go with it).
Looks like a fun fight. Starbucks could perhaps use a board like these guys ( http://www.ultrabrown.com/posts/the-saints-a-waitin ) (last pic).
hmm, sbkt: i don't think the picture you refer to would apply here :).
"We don't have any other branch".
Thats certainly not going to be Starbucks (and most likely not even Star-whatever!) :)).
not literally the same board...
how a 'nakalchiyo se sawdahan' board?...that should do the trick...
"nakalchiyo se sawdahan"
now, that really made me laugh :)).
i recall those boards in front of local sari shops ;).
I don't know why we Indians can not be creative and come up with a original name!!It's always aping some western names and acting like them makes us happy.Look at our Bollywood these days.They are rapping and dressing like rap stars.Ugly!!
Shahnaz Hussain could easily be popular with any other name too,why go after Starbucks?!!!Weird..
Hey Asha,
Welcome :). Glad to see you here.
I indeed feel it was a case of what the blogsophere is suffered recently, namely, plagiarism! Shahnaz probably should have known better.
"this is about some local budding desi coffee shop naming themselves Starstrucks and trying to give Starbucks a tough time by sort of copying their name!"
starsucks is more like it.
Naina, you hate Starbucks, don't you :).
I am not too much into their coffee-but i cherish the lil' outing i often have had with my friends.
OR may be i got you wrong and you meant it for Starstrucks ;).
musical, i meant that i hate starbucks. :) the regular coffee sucks, but i have a proclivity to their caramel macchiatto from time to time.
I used to love starbucks....then they went and opened one in the hospital where I worked and made all us Nurses poor....I hate it now.
I Used to like Shahnaz Hussain's products, but then I got a good look at Ms. Shahnaz in a magazine article one day, & I gave away the unopened packages, I hate her products now.
;).
That was some wit Trupti :).
Hope to see more of you here.....
I guess everyone is too fond of coffee!!!! ;) :P
This one's surely in a bad way though!!!! :(
I agree with Trupti..... the witch look that she has, I wonder how her products sell so much!!!!!!!!
Coffee, sure i am fond of you :)
and i agree, this one is pretty bad!
Post a Comment