Time was, if you wanted to learn about branding and brand discipline, you could merely ask “What would Starbucks Do?”

Folks, that time is past. Check this out:

The story of Starbucks as a brand is a compelling one, and former brandmeister Scott Bedbury tells it well in his book, “A New Brand World.”

Bedbury is gone, apparently replaced with people whose marketing was honed by peddling Big Macs and jumbo fries. Can Starbucks reverse its trend toward McDonalds-ization? Join me in watching as the story unfolds..