Creative Strategy & Ideation | Retail Activation
illy Caffe
THE SITUATION
Italian premium coffee brand illy Caffè recognized an opportunity within their hotel, restaurant and café accounts to connect with the consumer and increase brand awareness. illy tapped Inspira to activate the on-premise channel to increase brand visibility, consumption occasions and ultimately drive consumer preference.
The Challenge
At hotels, restaurants and cafés, guests aren’t often brand aware of the coffee that’s being served. What’s more, a one-size-fits-all approach to brand visibility would never work. illy’s accounts were so different from one another: various account types with varying levels of volume and prestige. How might we increase illy’s visibility within a diverse group of on-premise accounts, while still elevating the brand?
Loyal illy fans love the brand for its superior taste and quality. Deeper research into the category revealed trends in coffee tourism, interest in countries of origin and sustainable farming.
Through segmenting illy’s accounts by type, location, prestige and volume, we were able to identify the most valuable accounts to invest in brand elevation. From there, we mapped the customer journey of the guest in each environment (hotel, restaurant, café, museum, university) to best understand the different touchpoints and consumption opportunities.
The Inspirational Insight
Create aspirational coffee moments at relevant on-premise touchpoints while creating value for our accounts. Let’s introduce guests to a celebration of illy’s countries of origin, highlighting how the journey from bean-to-cup makes a difference in coffee quality.
The Concept
The activation platform Our Journey in Every Sip was created to entice premium coffee drinkers. We brought it to life in select on-premise accounts nationwide over 3 months with storytelling visuals and recipes inspired by each country of origin. Our team designed a key visual to anchor the plan accompanied by in-store graphics, branded accessories and premium programming.
Each account type was offered programs tailored to their unique property and footprint. Hotels, with the greatest number of guest touchpoints, were offered a mobile coffee cart, in-room French press experiences, VIP box sets, promotional assets and recipes for expanded brunch, happy hour and dessert offerings. Cafés could choose from promotional events, a master barista class, loyalty program, branded A-frames and a styled, Instagram corner.
Inspira not only built the platform but also supported the illy team with sell-in materials, asset creation and fulfillment. In partnership with illy, we re-energized the on-premise through increased visibility, brand elevation and premium programs that drive volume for their accounts.
