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I think that people are now getting bored with the whole commoditisation of everything, no matter what business you're in. In sport - teams have become commodities. In fashion now everything looks the same. Go to your local Tesco’s or Sainsburys and get the same thing only a little bit better or worse – and of course in the Coffee Business we have been fighting against commoditisation for years with very ordinary and a lot of poor coffee being passed off as quality and many top brands selling mediocre and frankly some very badly made coffee and claiming excellence.
Today’s consumer wants to be emotionally engaged, they need to have a relationship. You have to deliver at that level. They need to trust you. That relationship, whether that's with an idea, a brand, a product or a service - if you don't give it to them, you're certainly never going to be able to charge a premium. You've got to remember, brands are only invented to charge a premium. That is the purpose of a brand; it didn't have any other - Recognise me, desire me, have faith in me, trust me, pay more for me.
So what’s your difference? In the world of Coffee this is critical, after all, every cup of coffee is different and while consistency is the name of the game and quality is the price of entry it is the story that will win the day – Your Story – and your experience.
The essence of a great coffee experience is the perception in the minds of the consumer and while that total experience means great tasting coffee for sure – that is now a given (so lets forget about the 80% of operators who actually sell bad coffee for the purposes of this article). The bar has risen again amidst the age of the never satisfied customer and your coffee experience has to look, feel, sound and smell fantastic too.
We must create feeling and be emotional about what we are selling. For years, the large coffee chains have devoted tremendous resources to the branding process. – It is an assumption that their coffee will taste good but a fundamental difference with coffee is that it is a cuisine and not at all like a tin of Coca Cola or even a bottle of wine that will taste the same every time. The key is controlling the brewing factors and that takes care, appreciation, time, money and requires excellent planning if you are going to produce this consistency on a daily basis for your regular customer.
It also takes great partnerships with people who can help and support this process because you can’t do it all yourself – there are simply too many things that you need to be expert at. Those small businesses that have the right partners and who can model the right behaviours of the big boys can achieve amazing results.
In a market where there are so many coffee choices, being different can be the determining factor in the decision-making process. Today in all businesses there are many similar models – and in coffee there are so many brands all fighting for survival in a coffee sea of sameness. If the coffee were served in a plain cup you would have no idea whose coffee it was – and today’s average coffee consumer actually doesn’t know that he doesn’t know how to tell a well made cup of coffee.
So figure out how to stand out. Many coffee offers are only an afterthought with no plan or any kind of well formed outcomes in place. Ironically many times their competitors are saying the same thing usually abusing the words quality and taste and both are lost in the deep sea of coffee sameness, getting nowhere.
Successfully marketing your coffee business sometimes takes a radical shift in thinking. It is not merely the logo, some catchy tagline or the usual marketing textbook stuff. You have to somehow communicate your heart and soul and if you think that’s just idealism then think again – The winners all do it simply and effectively – and they do it every time with every important decision and say it through every point of contact with their market. They always do what’s right – You can give unconditional support to a company that thinks like that.
You have got to add massive value with the experience and also consider social & environmental profit – and if you don’t do that … the consumer … they are going to give you a hell of a hurry up.
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