Situation

HL2 has enjoyed a successful 12-year partnership with Seattle’s Best Coffee in which we’ve helped the national coffee brand expand from 12 local cafes to 550 stores nationwide. In recent years, though, the coffee category has become highly cluttered—and coffee drinkers have turned increasingly particular about their brand of choice. If SBC was to continue its ascent, it needed to capture market share. Thus, we set out to create a tribe of loyalists by crafting a compelling brand story and translating it into a meaningful, memorable retail experience. HL2 sought to engage a broad target audience in franchise and licensed locations throughout the country, ultimately driving loyalty and increasing sales.

Approach

At HL2, we believe people buy things when they’re happy. To that end all of the brand communications for SBC work overtime to broadcast SBC’s fun, approachable sensibility. We continue to drive sales and invite return visits through seven seasonal promotions that introduce new beverages, pastries and roasts via POS signage (from banners and posters to register toppers and table tents) and highlight SBC’s signature appetite appeal.

Outcome

Our efforts have helped Seattle’s Best Coffee achieve strong sales growth year-over-year. Further, we’ve made Seattle’s Best Coffee an institution in countless new markets, having helped open 390 new cafes in four years.