June 4, 2008
FedEx Cans Kinko’s Name
There’s no doubt that FedEx knows shipping. What it apparently doesn’t know is the office services and supplies business as evidenced by its experience with Kinko’s. The business has languished since FedEx bought Kinko’s in 2003 and the latest answer to fixing the problem comes in the form of a name change. FedEx announced it plans to phase out the Kinko’s name and replace it with FedEx Office.
In announcing the change, Brian Philips, president and chief executive officer of FedEx Office, said, “Kinko’s was primarily a copy and print-service provider when it was acquired in 2004. The name FedEx Office more accurately represents our broader role of providing superior information and services through our company-owned, digitally connected locations around the world. We are a back office for small businesses and a branch office for medium to large businesses and mobile professionals.”
Donald Broughton, an analyst with Avondale Partners, told Bloomberg that FedEx is “very marketing savvy, so they will tweak the branding of their service offerings.”
According to Mr. Broughton, the problem with Kinko’s isn’t that it has failed to work. The problem is FedEx “paid $2.4 billion for 1,200 storefronts. Kinko’s isn’t worth $2 million a storefront.”
There are currently 1,900 Kinko’s locations worldwide. FedEx announced in December that it was scaling back expansion plans for the business from 300 new outlets this year to 70 in 2009.
Discussion Question: What is your reaction to FedEx’s announcement that it would mothball the Kinko’s name and rebrand the business FedEx Office?
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They should’ve done this from the outset. FedEx is now duking it out with UPS–what can Brown do for you? FedEx plus Kinko’s seems to have lost its way. The repositioning and relaunch opportunity was missed & now they are playing catch-up.
What surprised me most is that I read through 22 posts and not one person drew a parallel to the Macy’s rebranding “situation”: we must be concentrating on politics (or something) this morning.
Of course, even THAT was more logical in that it involved similar creatures and a (supposedly) stronger brand. This was more like Jack Daniels-Wonder Bread: a juxtaposition whose outward awkwardness apparently reflected an inner disconnect as well.
Even though this subject has been very well analyzed already, I can’t resist adding my two cents worth. Putting FedEx Office on Kinko’s doesn’t make any more sense than putting Kinko’s Delivery would on FedEx.
I personally have liked and frequently used both companies and hate to see current management making what I think are bad decisions. At least if they change the name, maybe they won’t further tarnish the Kinko’s name so that when they sell it the new owner can go back to the Kinko’s name and re-establish it to it’s former glory. I hope that process doesn’t take too long.
This is a perfect example of a failed execution, and further indication of unimaginative marketing. Think about it. The FedEx name means something. Even though the tag line is not used today, we all know that FedEx means it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight. It is a great brand!
So they are now going to rebrand their storefronts “Office.” Why? When you have Office Max as a brand, and Office Depot as a brand, both in the marketplace, how and why will FedEx office stand out as a brand? It won’t. Further, people will continue to call it Kinko’s, yet Kinko’s won’t exist, and this will cause further confusion.
Instead of changing the brand, maybe FedEx should have changed the offering, and upgraded the service levels in the store. For example, why not offer an annual subscription card for Kinko’s Executive Service, and charge $99 for this upgrade. The card would get you personalized service from a person who knows how to copy, bind, download, upload, etc. For Road Warriors, this would be a godsend. And offer discounted WiFi service as a benefit to the card.
The point is this. The Kinko’s brand is not the problem, the problem is with the execution. The fact is, FedEx absolutely, positively screwed up the integration of this once viable business model.
Changing the name on the door and business cards isn’t going to fix why “FedEx Kinko’s” failed. I don’t think people are saying, “Gee, now that Kinko’s is gone, I think I’ll do business there!”
Kinko’s (I do hate the name–always have) was FedEx’s point of difference in retail operations. The problem is that FedEx insisted running a shipping operation with an office services function. We all know the easy part of the retail business is accepting packages for shipment. The hard part is keeping copiers running, assisting customers and stocking the right stuff. It is a matter of focus, and Fed Ex never focused on the Kinko’s side of the business (If they think they did then I apologize, it wasn’t evident to me). They did what they do best with low cost labor.
Now we see how millions were wasted with this acquisition. If all they wanted was more retail locations they would have been better off putting out more self service drop boxes.
“New Coke” comes to mind.
It seems so counterintuitive to drop the brand name that everyone knows. The name change will force FedEx to create a huge awareness campaign that will cost big money. I hope they’re successful…I love the convenience of my neighborhood Kinko’s and want it to remain open.
I think my colleagues have covered the name change pluses and minuses pretty well. I’d like to focus on the potential that FedEx has by owning the pre-eminent ‘office help’ business (Kinko’s).
I find that all the office supply stores melt together, none being clearly defined. FedExKinko’s attempted to expand into that market by adding office supplies to their merchandising mix. Just enough to tease and satisfy an immediate need.
However, by aggressively applying a ‘one stop’ approach to creating, duplicating and distributing work for small and middle size businesses, they can serve an important function in the professional marketplace. Will FedEx be up to the challenge and can they do this effectively without the highly respected Kinko’s moniker?
I recommend the British film, “Kinky Boots,” not to be confused with “Kinko’s Gets Booted.” I ship dozens of orders daily via FedEx to over 80 countries via my fulfillment service located a little over twenty miles away. They’re my guys. But to quickly obtain a dozen FedEx shipping envelopes and forms recently, I had to flag down a FedEx truck passing through my neighborhood. There’s a UPS store down the street where I maintain a business mailbox, but no FedEx/Kinky Boots. I’m not sure a nearby FedEx storefront would be worth $2 million, but it would be very valuable to me.
Well, the name change was coming. That’s no shock or surprise. But if they want to fix “FedEx Office” what they really need is to improve customer service. What a lousy experience! Once there were few other choices when you needed something printed or duplicated or whatever very fast, but today there are choices and FedEx hasn’t kept up with the competition.
What would I do to fix? Staff optimization is critical–many stores are so small that they can’t really justify staffing someone to handle quick purchases and someone else to handle the long, complex customer orders. But that’s where the worst experiences happen–there’s one person hemming and hawing over the weight of the paper, there is an employee running some kind of printing or copying machine in the back furtively trying not to look at the growing line of frustrated customers, and 5 people are waiting as what was supposed to be a quick trip turns into a huge wait in line….
It will not matter what we write here since FedEx will move ahead and we will never know what the outcome would have been if they had kept the Kinko’s name.
I would call this a bad move just like every other poster above.
It is not the Kinko’s name that is holding FedEx back, it is in the execution…and changing the name will not change the execution.
Better to spend money on improving the execution then on new signage with poor execution.
It’s all been said. Why major brand owners think their brand is so powerful that it can extend to anything they want is beyond me. Corporate ego is the undoing of many great companies.
“Fixing” problems with cosmetic applications is another popular tried and failed strategy. Previous commentators are right–it’s the service, stupid.
My prediction is that Kinko’s will be sold off right after millions are spent on ‘rebranding’ it. Let us hope it will still have a pulse when it is.
So how much is each storefront worth without the Kinko’s name over the door? Considerably less, yet with all the rebranding expenses this will no doubt go down as one of the dumbest corporate moves in history. Ego will get you every time. And the blame game isn’t going to fool anyone who has ever used Kinko’s, which by the way must include every FedEx stockholder.
With every acquisition there needs to be an exit strategy. Rebranding would complicate the exit strategy. The brand value is worth untold millions and it would seem counter productive to abandon that equity.
Ben Ball made excellent points. The marketplace is changed and an evolution exists away from paper to digital. There will still be a demand for paper production, but it will be less than it was several years ago. In the absence of other value added services, I see the Office support segment flat if not in overall decline. I would look at other services such as data production (number crunching) and whizzbangs that can utilize Access and Excel to summarize and format raw data into usable tables.
I am astonished to see FedEx abandoning the Kinko’s name. I would dare say most customers to this day still refer to the print centers as Kinko’s–the brand has become an ingrained part of our common vocabulary and recognized everywhere.
I would rather see FedEx spend the time and energy focusing on the in-store experience–something Kinko’s did much better prior to the FedEx acquisition.
My agency has relied on Kinko’s since our founding nearly 20 years ago. Over the last few years, our experience with the quality, accuracy and timing of various jobs, from large volume copying to binding and pamphlets has for the most part been disappointing–due to stores that simply can’t deliver on the expectations they create for customers. The issues are related to staffing levels, employee knowledge, customer engagement and stores simply overwhelmed in their ability to effectively meet customer needs.
FedEx has diluted the quality of the in-store experience. Their investment in rebranding would be much better served in a re-commitment to exceptional customer service.
Sheesh! “Going to Kinko’s” was like “needing a Kleenex.” What a boneheaded idea to eliminate such a powerful brand name.
With all due respect to FedEx’s stellar management record–methinks they have misread the tea leaves on this one. The problem with their business is embodied in the very mission statement–“we are the back office for small businesses and mobile professionals.” As a small business and as very mobile (consultants) professionals, it is clear from our own experience that the issue here is that the “back office” function is going digital, and to a great extent, going away all together.
We used to employ eight “production associates” in our three offices–we now have three–and they function primarily as office managers and receptionists. Practically every consultant now does the bulk of their own document development. Even relative relics like me now “think on our computers” instead of on paper. Client deliverables are more often memory sticks than bound color reports–and they prefer it that way.
In addition to our adaptation of digital delivery, the hardware for producing professional documents is becoming more portable and affordable and the software for creating them is becoming more intuitive. In the nineties, we transitioned “production work” that our agency subsidiary used to do for us to our in-house production staffs. In the past decade, it has migrated from the staff to the consultants.
The biggest strategic question for FedEx has to be “how much of our core business of document transport will be replaced and how soon?”
Duh! What are they thinking? Kinko’s is a brand and owned the space. This is another example of an acquisition gone bad. Why buy a company where part of the equity is brand and then not execute and blame it on the brand?
Changing the brand to FedEx Office is another accident waiting to happen. Let’s face it: FedEx is very good at what they do but retail store management is different. They better get a hold of this quick because they are starting down a slippery slope.
What a great idea! Buy an established business with name recognition, fail to make it grow, change the name to something new, then try to make it grow again.
How about this: Keep the name, save a ton of cash on rebranding costs, and do some better marketing. As for that whole list of services that Brian Philips would like people to believe his company offers, get real! FedEx Office will still be an over priced copy shop.
Changing the name of the store will not solve the problems. Often when retailers acquire another retailer it all goes to their heads and they think they can improve sales. That rarely happens. Sales usually go down about 20% and the purpose of the acquisition is economies of scale, not improved sales.
I’m a regular customer at Kinko’s, often needing their services to print and mail reports while I’m on business trips or vacation. What I have noticed is the lack of 24 hour Kinko’s compared to before. I like to go out at midnight when they are not so busy but now find they are closed.
Kinko’s also removed most of their computer terminals–often just having one or two. They charge for WiFi while the coffee shops and libraries nearby are free. My suggestion would be to get price competitive with the office supply stores, stay open 24 hours 365 days a year, reward loyal repeat customers, bring back the free coffee, and offer free WiFi.
This name change is like re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. The problem is not in the name, but in the people that run the shops. Before the purchase, the staff was knowledgeable and wanted to help the customer. They were in competition with the local print shop, but had newer equipment. They offered ideas to improve the end product.
Today, they can barely handle a simple copy job; in fact they prefer the customer to do it themselves. Kinko’s, like Starbucks, has lost their customer interest and service. Mostly, the staff is just putting in time. They cannot do the task right the first time so I, for one, don’t use them. Changing the name will not get me back.
FedEx Kinko’s separated them from the UPS store with a true differentiator–the Kinko’s name. The Kinko’s brand was strong–if you ask a business person on the road where they are going to get copies made or binding done, Kinko’s would undoubtedly be the first answer–even if it wasn’t Kinko’s. Will they now say FedEx? I don’t see that happening. FedEx just took a step backwards toward UPS instead of a step forward.
FedEx Office is a brilliant idea for a name if Kinko’s were not already the strongest brand name in the history of fast food printing. So much so that Kinko’s is the Coke of its industry. “I need to find a Kinko’s,” means I need to do some fast printing. That being said, “Office” offers a lot of implications and it’s a savvy approach if a new approach to the name is indeed needed. I trust that FedEx has done its homework. By the way, is Bill Gates OK with that name?
Have you ever seen one of those combination Taco Bell and KFC restaurants that Yum! Brands operates? This is like Yum! renaming those stores Taco FC or Kentucky Bell. Nothing good would come of that and nothing good will come of losing the Kinko’s name either. Especially a name that essentially MEANS printing center.
Why would they walk away from the accumulated equity in the Kinko’s name? Must be corporate arrogance or just plain bad thinking. Kinko’s, as a brand, has a high memorability factor, serves an audience that is somewhat distinct from FedEx’ core biz and is well established in the streetscape. They will be throwing away an asset–name brand recognition–and paying a lot of money in site changes to do so. C minus on this one, FedEx. Try thinking harder–and smarter, next time.
New lipstick on the pig won’t fix anything but further bury the Kinko’s brand.
Kinko’s was just fine before FedEx. This is another sad story of acquisitions killing the goose then wondering why golden egg production is down….
In this case, it’s sad to know that FedEx is doing it. They’ve made some really smart moves over the last few years. This isn’t one of them.
Now if FedEx were to take over the USPS, THAT would be something worthwhile.
This one surprised me a bit when I read it yesterday. I would have thought the Kinko’s name had some equity. FedEx likewise has a nice chunk of equity, but there’s no reason to believe that equity extends to the office side. Unless the Kinko’s name was hurting them, I think it’s an unnecessary move that is unlikely to help their business and likely to entail substantial costs in changing the name.
As a person who relies on document copying for my presentations, it seems a great disconnect to get rid of the brand. Kinko’s owns “copies” the way Domino’s owns “delivery” and FedEx owns “overnight.” I think they could have looked at increasing staff before discarding brand equity.
What matters: consistently good service. If the service isn’t consistently worthwhile, who cares whether the name is FedEx, Kinko’s or Majewski?
FedEx does not make the best decisions when it comes to branding. Splitting up purple FedEx from green FedEx makes little sense for many not in the know. I can imagine FedEx Office will only feed more confusion whereas those looking for Kinko’s will go elsewhere. I give this 1 year until they go back to the old moniker.
This sounds like a new Brand Manager coming in and changing the new from “Kleenex” to “Facial Tissue.”
Kinko’s has great brand equity and should be leveraged, not extinguished.
I think it is a smart move. Kinko’s has a negative stigma around its name within certain circles. It is known for poor quality and service within my circle of friends; we would rather print out our projects from home then hassle with Kinko’s. With that said, I think with the name change, it may bring in new clientele or just us ex-customers who may want to give them a second chance.
The expertise and customer service attitude of the employees at FedEx-Kinkos I’ve experienced since the takeover has definitely gone downhill. The only reason I go to a FedEx-Kinkos now is if I need to quickly do a large self service copy job for myself. I no longer will use them for company work as I fear I will lose my job because of wasted time, money and loss of quality that comes with entrusting company jobs to anyone behind the counter! I now go to a smaller copy shop where I can get personalized service and advice from a printer/copier expert who cares about doing a quality job and keeping his business running.
Message to FedEx-Kinkos: Make sure your employees have the expertise to know more than the customer and make sure they naturally value and display a great customer service attitude and reward them financially for it. Oh, and don’t change the name. It was better before FedEx took over.
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They should’ve done this from the outset. FedEx is now duking it out with UPS–what can Brown do for you? FedEx plus Kinko’s seems to have lost its way. The repositioning and relaunch opportunity was missed & now they are playing catch-up.
What surprised me most is that I read through 22 posts and not one person drew a parallel to the Macy’s rebranding “situation”: we must be concentrating on politics (or something) this morning.
Of course, even THAT was more logical in that it involved similar creatures and a (supposedly) stronger brand. This was more like Jack Daniels-Wonder Bread: a juxtaposition whose outward awkwardness apparently reflected an inner disconnect as well.
Even though this subject has been very well analyzed already, I can’t resist adding my two cents worth. Putting FedEx Office on Kinko’s doesn’t make any more sense than putting Kinko’s Delivery would on FedEx.
I personally have liked and frequently used both companies and hate to see current management making what I think are bad decisions. At least if they change the name, maybe they won’t further tarnish the Kinko’s name so that when they sell it the new owner can go back to the Kinko’s name and re-establish it to it’s former glory. I hope that process doesn’t take too long.
This is a perfect example of a failed execution, and further indication of unimaginative marketing. Think about it. The FedEx name means something. Even though the tag line is not used today, we all know that FedEx means it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight. It is a great brand!
So they are now going to rebrand their storefronts “Office.” Why? When you have Office Max as a brand, and Office Depot as a brand, both in the marketplace, how and why will FedEx office stand out as a brand? It won’t. Further, people will continue to call it Kinko’s, yet Kinko’s won’t exist, and this will cause further confusion.
Instead of changing the brand, maybe FedEx should have changed the offering, and upgraded the service levels in the store. For example, why not offer an annual subscription card for Kinko’s Executive Service, and charge $99 for this upgrade. The card would get you personalized service from a person who knows how to copy, bind, download, upload, etc. For Road Warriors, this would be a godsend. And offer discounted WiFi service as a benefit to the card.
The point is this. The Kinko’s brand is not the problem, the problem is with the execution. The fact is, FedEx absolutely, positively screwed up the integration of this once viable business model.
Changing the name on the door and business cards isn’t going to fix why “FedEx Kinko’s” failed. I don’t think people are saying, “Gee, now that Kinko’s is gone, I think I’ll do business there!”
Kinko’s (I do hate the name–always have) was FedEx’s point of difference in retail operations. The problem is that FedEx insisted running a shipping operation with an office services function. We all know the easy part of the retail business is accepting packages for shipment. The hard part is keeping copiers running, assisting customers and stocking the right stuff. It is a matter of focus, and Fed Ex never focused on the Kinko’s side of the business (If they think they did then I apologize, it wasn’t evident to me). They did what they do best with low cost labor.
Now we see how millions were wasted with this acquisition. If all they wanted was more retail locations they would have been better off putting out more self service drop boxes.
“New Coke” comes to mind.
It seems so counterintuitive to drop the brand name that everyone knows. The name change will force FedEx to create a huge awareness campaign that will cost big money. I hope they’re successful…I love the convenience of my neighborhood Kinko’s and want it to remain open.
I think my colleagues have covered the name change pluses and minuses pretty well. I’d like to focus on the potential that FedEx has by owning the pre-eminent ‘office help’ business (Kinko’s).
I find that all the office supply stores melt together, none being clearly defined. FedExKinko’s attempted to expand into that market by adding office supplies to their merchandising mix. Just enough to tease and satisfy an immediate need.
However, by aggressively applying a ‘one stop’ approach to creating, duplicating and distributing work for small and middle size businesses, they can serve an important function in the professional marketplace. Will FedEx be up to the challenge and can they do this effectively without the highly respected Kinko’s moniker?
I recommend the British film, “Kinky Boots,” not to be confused with “Kinko’s Gets Booted.” I ship dozens of orders daily via FedEx to over 80 countries via my fulfillment service located a little over twenty miles away. They’re my guys. But to quickly obtain a dozen FedEx shipping envelopes and forms recently, I had to flag down a FedEx truck passing through my neighborhood. There’s a UPS store down the street where I maintain a business mailbox, but no FedEx/Kinky Boots. I’m not sure a nearby FedEx storefront would be worth $2 million, but it would be very valuable to me.
Well, the name change was coming. That’s no shock or surprise. But if they want to fix “FedEx Office” what they really need is to improve customer service. What a lousy experience! Once there were few other choices when you needed something printed or duplicated or whatever very fast, but today there are choices and FedEx hasn’t kept up with the competition.
What would I do to fix? Staff optimization is critical–many stores are so small that they can’t really justify staffing someone to handle quick purchases and someone else to handle the long, complex customer orders. But that’s where the worst experiences happen–there’s one person hemming and hawing over the weight of the paper, there is an employee running some kind of printing or copying machine in the back furtively trying not to look at the growing line of frustrated customers, and 5 people are waiting as what was supposed to be a quick trip turns into a huge wait in line….
It will not matter what we write here since FedEx will move ahead and we will never know what the outcome would have been if they had kept the Kinko’s name.
I would call this a bad move just like every other poster above.
It is not the Kinko’s name that is holding FedEx back, it is in the execution…and changing the name will not change the execution.
Better to spend money on improving the execution then on new signage with poor execution.
It’s all been said. Why major brand owners think their brand is so powerful that it can extend to anything they want is beyond me. Corporate ego is the undoing of many great companies.
“Fixing” problems with cosmetic applications is another popular tried and failed strategy. Previous commentators are right–it’s the service, stupid.
My prediction is that Kinko’s will be sold off right after millions are spent on ‘rebranding’ it. Let us hope it will still have a pulse when it is.
So how much is each storefront worth without the Kinko’s name over the door? Considerably less, yet with all the rebranding expenses this will no doubt go down as one of the dumbest corporate moves in history. Ego will get you every time. And the blame game isn’t going to fool anyone who has ever used Kinko’s, which by the way must include every FedEx stockholder.
With every acquisition there needs to be an exit strategy. Rebranding would complicate the exit strategy. The brand value is worth untold millions and it would seem counter productive to abandon that equity.
Ben Ball made excellent points. The marketplace is changed and an evolution exists away from paper to digital. There will still be a demand for paper production, but it will be less than it was several years ago. In the absence of other value added services, I see the Office support segment flat if not in overall decline. I would look at other services such as data production (number crunching) and whizzbangs that can utilize Access and Excel to summarize and format raw data into usable tables.
I am astonished to see FedEx abandoning the Kinko’s name. I would dare say most customers to this day still refer to the print centers as Kinko’s–the brand has become an ingrained part of our common vocabulary and recognized everywhere.
I would rather see FedEx spend the time and energy focusing on the in-store experience–something Kinko’s did much better prior to the FedEx acquisition.
My agency has relied on Kinko’s since our founding nearly 20 years ago. Over the last few years, our experience with the quality, accuracy and timing of various jobs, from large volume copying to binding and pamphlets has for the most part been disappointing–due to stores that simply can’t deliver on the expectations they create for customers. The issues are related to staffing levels, employee knowledge, customer engagement and stores simply overwhelmed in their ability to effectively meet customer needs.
FedEx has diluted the quality of the in-store experience. Their investment in rebranding would be much better served in a re-commitment to exceptional customer service.
Sheesh! “Going to Kinko’s” was like “needing a Kleenex.” What a boneheaded idea to eliminate such a powerful brand name.
With all due respect to FedEx’s stellar management record–methinks they have misread the tea leaves on this one. The problem with their business is embodied in the very mission statement–“we are the back office for small businesses and mobile professionals.” As a small business and as very mobile (consultants) professionals, it is clear from our own experience that the issue here is that the “back office” function is going digital, and to a great extent, going away all together.
We used to employ eight “production associates” in our three offices–we now have three–and they function primarily as office managers and receptionists. Practically every consultant now does the bulk of their own document development. Even relative relics like me now “think on our computers” instead of on paper. Client deliverables are more often memory sticks than bound color reports–and they prefer it that way.
In addition to our adaptation of digital delivery, the hardware for producing professional documents is becoming more portable and affordable and the software for creating them is becoming more intuitive. In the nineties, we transitioned “production work” that our agency subsidiary used to do for us to our in-house production staffs. In the past decade, it has migrated from the staff to the consultants.
The biggest strategic question for FedEx has to be “how much of our core business of document transport will be replaced and how soon?”
Duh! What are they thinking? Kinko’s is a brand and owned the space. This is another example of an acquisition gone bad. Why buy a company where part of the equity is brand and then not execute and blame it on the brand?
Changing the brand to FedEx Office is another accident waiting to happen. Let’s face it: FedEx is very good at what they do but retail store management is different. They better get a hold of this quick because they are starting down a slippery slope.
What a great idea! Buy an established business with name recognition, fail to make it grow, change the name to something new, then try to make it grow again.
How about this: Keep the name, save a ton of cash on rebranding costs, and do some better marketing. As for that whole list of services that Brian Philips would like people to believe his company offers, get real! FedEx Office will still be an over priced copy shop.
Changing the name of the store will not solve the problems. Often when retailers acquire another retailer it all goes to their heads and they think they can improve sales. That rarely happens. Sales usually go down about 20% and the purpose of the acquisition is economies of scale, not improved sales.
I’m a regular customer at Kinko’s, often needing their services to print and mail reports while I’m on business trips or vacation. What I have noticed is the lack of 24 hour Kinko’s compared to before. I like to go out at midnight when they are not so busy but now find they are closed.
Kinko’s also removed most of their computer terminals–often just having one or two. They charge for WiFi while the coffee shops and libraries nearby are free. My suggestion would be to get price competitive with the office supply stores, stay open 24 hours 365 days a year, reward loyal repeat customers, bring back the free coffee, and offer free WiFi.
This name change is like re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. The problem is not in the name, but in the people that run the shops. Before the purchase, the staff was knowledgeable and wanted to help the customer. They were in competition with the local print shop, but had newer equipment. They offered ideas to improve the end product.
Today, they can barely handle a simple copy job; in fact they prefer the customer to do it themselves. Kinko’s, like Starbucks, has lost their customer interest and service. Mostly, the staff is just putting in time. They cannot do the task right the first time so I, for one, don’t use them. Changing the name will not get me back.
FedEx Kinko’s separated them from the UPS store with a true differentiator–the Kinko’s name. The Kinko’s brand was strong–if you ask a business person on the road where they are going to get copies made or binding done, Kinko’s would undoubtedly be the first answer–even if it wasn’t Kinko’s. Will they now say FedEx? I don’t see that happening. FedEx just took a step backwards toward UPS instead of a step forward.
FedEx Office is a brilliant idea for a name if Kinko’s were not already the strongest brand name in the history of fast food printing. So much so that Kinko’s is the Coke of its industry. “I need to find a Kinko’s,” means I need to do some fast printing. That being said, “Office” offers a lot of implications and it’s a savvy approach if a new approach to the name is indeed needed. I trust that FedEx has done its homework. By the way, is Bill Gates OK with that name?
Have you ever seen one of those combination Taco Bell and KFC restaurants that Yum! Brands operates? This is like Yum! renaming those stores Taco FC or Kentucky Bell. Nothing good would come of that and nothing good will come of losing the Kinko’s name either. Especially a name that essentially MEANS printing center.
Why would they walk away from the accumulated equity in the Kinko’s name? Must be corporate arrogance or just plain bad thinking. Kinko’s, as a brand, has a high memorability factor, serves an audience that is somewhat distinct from FedEx’ core biz and is well established in the streetscape. They will be throwing away an asset–name brand recognition–and paying a lot of money in site changes to do so. C minus on this one, FedEx. Try thinking harder–and smarter, next time.
New lipstick on the pig won’t fix anything but further bury the Kinko’s brand.
Kinko’s was just fine before FedEx. This is another sad story of acquisitions killing the goose then wondering why golden egg production is down….
In this case, it’s sad to know that FedEx is doing it. They’ve made some really smart moves over the last few years. This isn’t one of them.
Now if FedEx were to take over the USPS, THAT would be something worthwhile.
This one surprised me a bit when I read it yesterday. I would have thought the Kinko’s name had some equity. FedEx likewise has a nice chunk of equity, but there’s no reason to believe that equity extends to the office side. Unless the Kinko’s name was hurting them, I think it’s an unnecessary move that is unlikely to help their business and likely to entail substantial costs in changing the name.
As a person who relies on document copying for my presentations, it seems a great disconnect to get rid of the brand. Kinko’s owns “copies” the way Domino’s owns “delivery” and FedEx owns “overnight.” I think they could have looked at increasing staff before discarding brand equity.
What matters: consistently good service. If the service isn’t consistently worthwhile, who cares whether the name is FedEx, Kinko’s or Majewski?
FedEx does not make the best decisions when it comes to branding. Splitting up purple FedEx from green FedEx makes little sense for many not in the know. I can imagine FedEx Office will only feed more confusion whereas those looking for Kinko’s will go elsewhere. I give this 1 year until they go back to the old moniker.
This sounds like a new Brand Manager coming in and changing the new from “Kleenex” to “Facial Tissue.”
Kinko’s has great brand equity and should be leveraged, not extinguished.
I think it is a smart move. Kinko’s has a negative stigma around its name within certain circles. It is known for poor quality and service within my circle of friends; we would rather print out our projects from home then hassle with Kinko’s. With that said, I think with the name change, it may bring in new clientele or just us ex-customers who may want to give them a second chance.
The expertise and customer service attitude of the employees at FedEx-Kinkos I’ve experienced since the takeover has definitely gone downhill. The only reason I go to a FedEx-Kinkos now is if I need to quickly do a large self service copy job for myself. I no longer will use them for company work as I fear I will lose my job because of wasted time, money and loss of quality that comes with entrusting company jobs to anyone behind the counter! I now go to a smaller copy shop where I can get personalized service and advice from a printer/copier expert who cares about doing a quality job and keeping his business running.
Message to FedEx-Kinkos: Make sure your employees have the expertise to know more than the customer and make sure they naturally value and display a great customer service attitude and reward them financially for it. Oh, and don’t change the name. It was better before FedEx took over.