Head down to the local liquor store (it’s 5 o’clock somewhere in the world!), and peruse the wine aisle.  Ever see so many animal cartoons outside of a Disney movie? 

Sharks, goats, birds, cats, dogs, toads–almost every kind of animal winds up on a wine label.

The booze industry knows animal brands connect well with consumers.  (This Bud’s for you Spuds McKenzie!)

From children’s books and TV shows to stuffed toys to our pets–we are conditioned from a very young age to recognize and care about animals.

And each animal has unique, readily identifiable characteristics that are seared into our brains.

Say you run a winery and are considering a logo for your latest vintage.  Is it a playful, not-too serious wine?  Go with a monkey or a loon.  A robust red? Bull.  A swan is good for an elegant, sophistocated white.  Etc., etc.

I’m not sure what the toad conveys.  MMmm…warty?

But you get the point: Animals sell stuff.  And not just fermented beverages. 

Volkswagen sells its cute Bug.  In politics Sarah Palin sells her protective right-wing brand under the Mamma Grizzly label.  And tough parent Amy Chua’s “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mom” is roaring through book circles and the Internet.

Animal imagery is a very simple, powerful way to communicate.  When creating a new brand/logo consider something with feathers, fins, or four legs.

Or drop by the wine shop for some inspiration.

Why be a marketing minimalist?  Because it reflects the ideals of today’s simple-living consumer–namely Millennials, aka Generation Y.

As you know Gen Y is the massive (50 million strong) demographic that started entering the workforce at the turn of this century.  These are the kids born after 1980.  Think people who don’t remember watching Michael Jackson’s Thriller debut on MTV, and probably have never heard of Falcon Crest or Spuds McKenzie.

The Devil Spawn of The Baby Boomers, Gen Y was initially pegged by marketers and media as Generation Me 2.0–a ravenous hoard of wealthy, bratty, credit-card-wielding locusts that would gobble up countless ship-container loads full of luxury, status-brand goods with rapid-fire clicks of a mouse.  Gen Y was viewed as The Original Party Animal (sorry Spuds) who couldn’t say no to anything except their parents and bosses.  Less cynical, curmudgeonly, and dickheaded than their older Gen X siblings, happ-go-lucky Gen Yers were supposed to be easy marks for marketers.

Not quite.

Gen Y took it on the chin during the Great Recession, more severely than most other age groups.  Saddled with Everest-sized college loans and ravaged by appocalyptic unemployment rates (closing in on 40% by some estimates), Gen Y has endured a few tough rounds in the ring.  Dropping to the mat for an eight count has had a profound effect on Gen Y’s collective psyche.

They are spending less and prefering living without formerly-essential consumer goods like houses and cars.

There is a silver lining.

Gen Y is becoming a frugal bunch with sensibilities and purchasing habits that resemble their penny-pinching, value-minded grand parents or great-grand parents (you know, The Greatest Generation) more than their McMansion-obsessed, spendthrifty parents. 

Still, willy-nilly spending and consumer decadence have lost luster (Starbuck’s Trenta, notwithstanding).

An authoritative Millennialmarketing.com blog post has this to say about the Gen Y culture shift:

The result [from the recession] may be a new Gen Y aesthetic, one that prizes minimalism and simplicity over luxury and status in the choice of homes, fashion, technology, travel and more.

And:

Whether by necessity or choice, minimalism appears to be the new ‘chic’.

And, most importantly, what does the emergence of a minimalist, post-recession generation mean to marketers?

First and foremost they need to create functional products with fewer features, lower cost and lower environmental impact.

I’d add this: Businesses that learn to effectively communicate their brand’s minimalist attributes to consumers will win.

You have a great online business idea.  Maybe it’s a blog.  Maybe you want to sell your design services.  Or artwork.  Or software apps.  Or hand-made wood carvings.  Whatever, it doesn’t matter.  The point is, you have a simple plan to sell your goods or services on the Web. And chances are you probably don’t even need to hire anyone or have a real office building to make it to make it happen.

Go for it!

What, you don’t know how to start a business?

Nonsense. 

Coming up with the idea for a business is the hard part.  Getting off the ground is just a matter of time and willingness to learn new things along the way. 

I regularly encounter people with simple, killer ideas for low-overhead, web-based businesses.  More often than not, they get bogged down in the minutae of planning to start a business.  Their dream dies on the vine.

I have no problem with planning–I create business and marketing plans for a living.  The problem is this: Planning tends to never end.  At some point, you must do or do not. (Hat tip to Yoda.)

One planning issue that seems to crush many pre-startups is the myth (fear) that you must incorporate your business. 

False.

There is no requirement to incorporate, or form an LLC, etc., to open your virtual doors.  The sole proprietorship is the most common for of business organization and has been since cavemen started trading arrowheads for wooly mammoth meat. 

Your local government might require a small fee (tens of dollars) for a home-business permit.  But other than that, you can create a sole proprietorship at any time of day or night just by saying the majic words: “I am a sole proprietor.”  (Majic words are optional.)

Keep track of your sole proprietorship’s revenue and expenses. Use TurboTax or an accountant to guide you through the additional filing during tax season.  It’s easy.  You’ll be fine.

Of course, it’s not really that difficult to incorporate, form an LLC, or similar business format. Chances are you can download the forms from your state government’s website. (You can find forms on the secretary of state’s business services page in many states.)

It’s generally a good idea to incorporate–or create a business entity other than a sole proprietorship–if your business plan is capital intensive, has real estate, needs employees, or has significant risk or tax consequences.

If your business idea is that complex or you’re still not sure what to do, there are countless attorneys in this country that would be happy to give you a free initial consultation and/or fill out the paper work for a reasonable fee.

But if filling out a measly form or calling a lawyer are the only things keeping your dream from becoming a realty, then skip all that.  Be minimalist:  Get cracking on your small business as a sole proprietorship. Build your website.  Figure out how to get clients or customers to pay for your stuff.  You can always incorporate later.

I’ve never minded Starbucks.  Sure, it’s a big, soul-less chain.  But they generally serve up a consistent, quality cup of coffee at seemingly millions of locations worldwide.  Sometimes consistency (and wi-fi) is all you want, especially when you’re traveling in another city.

But, my pot of SBUX is starting to cool.

The coffee giant is increasingly being pulled into the orbit of McDonald’s, Dunkin’ Donuts and other fast food chains that serve up lots of mediocre Joe. Behold: Starbucks’ new product size for iced coffee and tea, a larger-than-stomach vessel called the Trenta.

Coffee is good.  Thirty-one ounces (about a quart) of coffee is better, right?

Perhaps.

No doubt Starbucks’ increasingly maximalist menu of super-sized beverages–often loaded with sugar, cream, and other razzle dazzle–will increase market share and help compete against Mc-coffee.

Meanwhile, next time I’m traveling, I’ll look a little farther down the street for a shop that specializes in, you know, coffee.