An ostentatious, slightly absurd brand position won’t kill a company, but it sure as shit does not help much.
I’ve worked on the positioning of many of the world’s biggest brands, and it’s been apparent throughout my career just how transformational a proper, tight position can be for a company. You clear the noise. Choices become obvious. It’s as if lights emerge from the ceiling and illuminate the things that are important, and go dark around the things that no longer matter.
Working from the new position, Niccol cut 30% of the menu. Gone were drinks deemed too complex, too similar, or too niche. He brought back handwritten names on cups—200,000 Sharpies ordered. Restored condiment bars. Reintroduced ceramic mugs. Removed the extra charge for non-dairy milk. Each decision flowing from one idea: We are a community coffeehouse, not a mobile-ordering assembly line.
Then came Green Apron Service—the largest operating standards investment in Starbucks’ 54-year history. The $500 million program is built around five customer moments: greeting, glassware, a message on the cup, connection at handoff, and a clean café. Service choreography, not rocket science. But the 650 pilot stores outperformed the fleet by 200 basis points.
He killed discounts. Starbucks had been drowning in promotions: half-price Frappuccinos, BOGO lattes, loyalty multipliers. Niccol shifted spend toward brand experience. Classic brand building: Stop bribing customers and start reminding them why they love you instead.
The proof is in the latte
On Jan. 28, the numbers confirmed what stores were already showing. Starbucks beat analyst estimates across the board for Q1. Global comparable sales rose 4%—nearly double Wall Street’s forecast. U.S. comps also climbed 4%, driven by a 3% rise in transactions, the first U.S. transaction growth in eight quarters.
After two years of customers walking past the green mermaid, now they’re walking back in. Revenue hit $9.9 billion, up 6%. Rewards members reached a record 35.5 million. Both loyalty members and non-members grew their visits for the first time since early 2022. Niccol declared his “Back to Starbucks” plan as “working and ahead of schedule.” The company reinstated guidance for the first time in over a year. This is a turnaround with genuine, transaction-led momentum.
Niccol has a long tenure ahead, with his turnaround plan stretching into 2027 and beyond. Critics will keep pointing at the corporate jet, the Newport Beach office, and that $96 million number. But Starbucks stock now trades around $92, up from $76 the day before his appointment was announced. That’s roughly $18 billion in shareholder value. Or about $35 million for every day Niccol has been on the job. For once, the big salary is justified.
Just one more thing
Maybe, in Brian Niccol, Starbucks has the best CEO in America. A leader who understands that a brand’s position must be simple enough to execute, not grand enough to frame. A man who moves logically from the strategy of a new position to execute it tactically not just in superficial advertising, but across all the key touch points. A leader who knows that when you know what a brand stands for, everything else follows.
The only remaining question is whether someone can convince him to move to Seattle. Because there is no amount of strategic genius, operational excellence, or shareholder value that excuses a grown adult choosing to live in Newport Beach. A city without seasons, any distinguishable culture, or a decent cup of coffee.
