Shortly after the birth of his third child, the Swiss coffee roaster "Black & Blaze" sent the overtired father and heir to the British throne Prince William a strong premium coffee. Thanks to a written response from the British royal family, the shipment generated a huge media response throughout Switzerland, a lot of talk on social media and record sales.
Have you ever had the feeling that as a small SME you don't stand a chance against big market players with fat marketing budgets? Then the following case study will hopefully convince you otherwise.
David against Goliath!
The Swiss coffee market is highly competitive. Small, local roasters are trying to hold their ground against large corporations like Nestlé, and they do this with a fraction of the budget that the big companies spend annually on advertising. A typical David versus Goliath situation. One of these Davids is the Zurich-based coffee roasting company "Black & Blaze", which has been holding its position on the market since 2010. It produces the finest premium coffee with a strong note and powerful aroma - a fact that is known to loyal customers but eludes potential new customers due to lack of public awareness of the company. Since most of the money at "Black & Blaze" goes into the production of the coffee, there is not much money left over to communicate the premium benefits of the coffee. A situation that will certainly sound familiar to you as an SME.
How do we increase awareness?
So an idea was needed that would attract attention and stand out from the competition's advertising.
In the usual coffee advertisements, it is mainly the moment of enjoyment that is presented. To stand out from the advertising crowd, a differentiating addition was needed: enjoyment that keeps you awake. An advantage we like to exploit in challenging and tiring situations. For example, after the birth of a child that keeps parents on their toes day and night. What is also needed is an unconventional idea that can achieve the greatest possible advertising impact. Large coffee companies help themselves with testimonials from celebrities such as George Clooney.
It's not something a small business like "Black & Blaze" can afford, or can it?"
The sparking idea
Shortly after the successor to the British throne, William, became a father for the third time, he briefly dozed off during a public service. An incident that was reported worldwide in the tabloid media.
"Black & Blaze" seized the opportunity and immediately sent a packet of the finest premium coffee to Kensington Palace (worth the equivalent of 25 USD). So that it would be easier for Prince William to stay awake in the future despite short nights. With success! A few days later, a letter arrived in which the palace thanked him for the coffee.
The overwhelming result
The response from the royal family, published on Facebook, pleased not only "Black & Blaze" but also the Swiss press, which reported lively on the action. The action was also well received on social media. "Black & Blaze" was suddenly on everyone's lips, and so a simple package became an extremely successful PR campaign. Sales increased by 45.3% compared to the previous year, with an incredible "Return of Advertising Spend (ROAS)" of 204,000.
Calculation of ROAS: additional turnover/advertising expenditure * 100, i.e. (51,000 USD/ 25 USD) * 100 = 204,000
The traffic on the website increased more than tenfold.
Source: Effie Awards Switzerland 2020
