THE REBRANDING OF PEET'S COFFEE & TEA

The Challenge

Before there was Starbucks and before there was CEO Howard Schultz, there was Peet’s. Those loyal to the brand know that Peet’s served as inspiration for the founding of Starbucks and even sold them coffee beans for their first year. Although it has a rich history, Peet’s has remained in the shadow of its fast-growing competitor in recent years. Our team was approached by CEO Dave Burwick and Brand Manager Talia Judson to plan a strategy for them to expand their market share among young adults. Our first step in tackling this opportunity was to analyze millennials' favorite brands and conducted market research. We spent a week speaking with customers, coffee connoisseurs, millennial market experts, and competitor brand managers in order to draw up a new plan to market and create a loyal following for Peet’s Brand. 

The Solution

Our first step was to reconnect consumers to the people and care that go into making Peet’s amazing coffee. After learning only five people in the world are qualified to roast and Peet’s coffee, we highlighted this by redesigning the cups to show each level of delicate care and attention that generational bean growers, roasters, brewers and baristas put into making the coffee. In addition, we simplified the logo by including found Alfred Peet as the face of the company. 

Second, we wanted to eliminate any inconveniences associated with buying coffee and even make it fun. We knew that millennials are always on the move and weren’t willing to wait in the long lines that come with high-quality coffee. While a pre-order feature would eliminate this wait, when tested there was too much time for the coffee to get cold before customers would arrive. In order to share Peet’s rich history, we wanted to connect coffee consumers with coffee producers, and enhance the customer-store experience while eliminating any inconveniences. Our solution to this was a geo-tracking ordering app, which would log an order and seamlessly send it in the order when a customer was within a few blocks.  

Finally, our research guided us to pursue intimate human connections when marketing coffee to millennials. We pursued this through social media by identifying key influencers across different platforms. Focusing on Instagram & YouTube, we shared the Peet’s experience and created a foothold in millennials’ lives.