Scott Bedbury became one of the world’s most recognized marketing experts by helping take Nike and Starbucks to iconic leadership positions during their pivotal growth periods. Since leaving the client side and establishing Brandstream, a brand development consulting firm in Seattle, he has advised dozens of Fortune 500 companies and startups. In 2002 he published A New Brand World, and has since spoken in more than 20 countries on business strategy, marketing innovation, brand leadership, corporate culture, consumer insights and unleashing organizational potential.
Mr. Bedbury joined Nike in 1987 as Worldwide Advertising Director where helped reposition Nike beyond an elite, aspirational sports brand for young American male athletes to a more inclusive, inspirational sports and fitness brand for all. Scott’s first effort was to direct Nike’s agency in the creation of the “Just Do It” campaign, one of the industry’s most recognized and enduring achievements.
In three years Nike moved from distant #3 to world leader, setting new standards for brand positioning, brand measurement (the marketing industry’s first proprietary brand equity tracking monitor in 1988), consumer insights, communication, promotion and product innovation. Today, Nike is one of the most respected and valued brands with a market cap of more than $40 billion US.
In 1995 Scott Bedbury left Nike to join a small regional coffee company, Starbucks, as its Chief Marketing Officer. Beginning with only a $2.5 million marketing budget and a few hundred stores in 14 US markets, he and CEO Howard Schultz set out to redefine and reshape one of the oldest commodities on earth as an experience, rather than a product.
With very little traditional advertising Starbucks built its brand a different way—one customer, one cup, one store, one community at a time. It also pioneered case studies for experiential marketing, retail design, mass customization and corporate social responsibility.
In three years Starbucks store openings increased from one store per week to three stores per day. Currently, the brand has 17,000 stores in 40 countries serving more than 12 million customers daily. Starbucks current market cap is over $30 billion US.
Scott Bedbury left Starbucks in 1995 to establish Seattle-based Brandstream, an international brand development firm that consulted with P&G, Coca-Cola, Google, NASA, Facebook, airbnb, Samsung, Microsoft, Russian Standard, Visa, Kaiser Permanente, Tellme Networks, South Africa Breweries, the US Navy, Starwood Hotels, Nokia, UniCredit, Corona and Volkswagen AG.
