Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
By: Dejan Letić
Today more than ever, to introduce a completely new category – not just a brand – to a market, give it name and visual form and bring it close to consumers, requires dedication, hard work, courage, inspiration and love for the job. The recent competition for the UEPS Awards was marked by Grand Black’n’Easy coffee, the brand that took home the most awards for a single campaign. The agency IDEA Plus Communications won the gold medals in the categories Creating a New Brand and Creating a Visual Identity for a New Brand, silver plaques in the categories Integrated Campaign and TV Spot, and a bronze plaque for Packaging and Industrial Design.
We talked about this successful campaign with Svetlana Marković, Client Service Director, and Tony Laurenčić, Creative Director of IDEA Plus Communications.
What was crucial for successful launch of a completely new category in the coffee business?
Introducing a new product is always a complex and challenging project. But if you have a good, really good product, and if you have a client who is innovative, who knows how to recognize creativity and a good idea – then you are more than half way to success. An adequate strategy that follows the current situation in the market is necessary. It’s important to recognize changes in the behavior, habits and needs of consumers. It’s important to follow the trends, to be a step ahead, to be different – and most importantly, to be honest in communication.
If you follow the habits, then Black’n’Easy is not a coffee for which the target group has an established habit. It’s actually not at all a coffee that is in line with the habits of the young: Give me a Turkish, and make it fast.
During the work on this project, what was crucial was the experience of our agency, our dedication and belief in the product, but also the great courage of the client, Grand and Barcaffe. Market analysis in the preparatory phase showed that this product was unnecessary to the modern consumer and that it was too big a business risk to go into this venture. However, together we judged that we had a product with which consumers had no previous experience, that this was a completely new and unknown category in the market, and that, accordingly, it was worth it to invest the additional effort and to market this innovation! Internally we called it a revolution, so we organized things accordingly. Like revolutionaries… And we did it.
Grand Black’n’Easy was an integrated campaign in the truest sense of the term.
A new product is something that you have to make into a personality, a brand. So, first you have to name it. Then you have to give it a visual identity, devise its appearance, shape, clothing, style … but no one will notice it if it isn’t presented in the right way, if this happy event is not announced like the birth of a new family member. Therefore, you must establish a creative strategy that will make it unique and distinctive. Then you create a campaign, plan resources and communication channels. You must find the correct tone, you have to hit the right time and place where your consumer is willing to accept and understand your message. Furthermore, the communication – verbal and visual – needs to be consistent. No one believes people who change their attitudes and styles for each new appearance, right? So the product has to be honest and recognizable in order to be relevant to the consumer.
And we succeeded in all aspects. The best indicators are the six awards won at this year’s UEPS competition in different categories, from best-designed packaging, to the TV spot and the education of retailers at a special event, and so on. That is why campaigns such as this one are called “integrated” campaigns, because they cover all areas and all steps necessary to successfully launch a new product or service.
What are all the things that needed to fall in place for one such venture to succeed in the market?
A lot of effort and courage was invested by the client – both Grand and Barcaffe – and by the agency IDEA+ and our associates to go through this process “by the book”, but at the same time in a very innovative way, at all levels.
What do you mean when you say “by the book, but innovative”?
Through an integrated approach, we included all the key factors in the process of launching a new brand. The kickoff event presented Black’n’Easy to the distributor Atlantic and employees of the company. We used an innovative approach to brand the outlets. We organized sampling promotions on standard and non-standard locations. From IT conferences to petrol stations, from mass concerts to professional press conferences. We built image through sponsorship of urban and trendy events (Black’n’Easy Fashion Week). We built awareness through a strong media ATL campaign. All activities were supported through internal and external PR, which our partner agency Pristop was in charge of. And of course, an innovative product such as Black’n’Easy cannot be successful in the real world if it doesn’t live in the digital world. And it’s living there very intensely and proactively.
And the effort paid off.
The results which Black’n’Easy achieved in the regional market, the recognition from the professional community that we have received and the countless satisfied customers are the best confirmation that all the effort and faith in the project, the dedication and love for this business, truly yield successful results!