Mark Ritson’s analysis of Starbucks’ positioning struggles reveals a fundamental truth about modern business: positioning isn’t about mission statements or marketing – it’s about what a business fundamentally is.

The coffee giant’s challenge goes deeper than flowery language; it’s about the gap between aspiration and reality.

The Fundamental Misunderstanding

Look at Red Bull – they don’t sell taste, they own human performance itself. Supreme doesn’t sell clothes; they own streetwear culture.

These brands understand that positioning is about owning a concept, not describing features.

Meanwhile, Starbucks keeps trying to own “human connection” – something they can neither deliver nor own.

The Language Trap

Starbucks’ evolution from “coffee experience” to “nurturing limitless possibilities” demonstrates what happens when adjectives replace nouns in positioning.

It’s like Apple trying to own “innovative technology” instead of innovation itself, or Nike claiming “athletic excellence” instead of owning performance.

The power lies in owning the concept, not describing it.

The Mental Territory Problem

While Airbnb owns “belonging,” and Patagonia owns environmental responsibility, Starbucks seems unclear about their territory. They accidentally owned the “third place” concept early on – a powerful position between home and work.

But instead of doubling down on this authentic space, they’ve drifted into abstract territory they can’t possibly own.

The Business-Brand Disconnect

This isn’t just a communication problem. When Dove owns “real beauty,” it drives everything from product development to advertising. When Tesla owns “the future of transportation,” it shapes their entire business model.

But Starbucks’ attempted position of “human connection” doesn’t guide business decisions – it obscures them.

The Reality Check

The gap between employee perception (“community,” “humanity”) and customer reality (convenient coffee, consistent experience) reveals positioning’s true nature: it exists in customers’ minds, not company mission statements.

As Ritson points out, most customers would find alternative coffee by Friday if Starbucks disappeared.

The Path Forward

The challenge for new CEO Brian Niccol isn’t crafting better language – it’s making hard choices about what Starbucks fundamentally is.

Starbucks needs to stop trying to own abstract concepts they can’t deliver and focus on what they could authentically own in people’s minds.

Because in positioning, perception isn’t just reality – it’s the only reality that matters.

The billion-dollar question isn’t “What should our mission statement say?” It’s “What concept could we authentically own in people’s minds?”

And that answer won’t come from a workshop – it’ll come from understanding what Starbucks fundamentally is.