27 Mar Social Media Marketing Example #10: Joffrey’s Coffee and Tea Company
Posted at 21:31h
in Social Media Examples
This might come as a shock to many of you, but unlike my colleagues (who I often mistake for zombies each morning), I do not drink coffee. I know, I know. It’s borderline inhuman. However, I do enjoy a cup of hot tea on occasion, so I decided it wasn’t too crazy of me to pitch in with Lisa’s series of 26 Social Media Marketing Examples in Detail by exploring a gourmet coffee and tea company. That said, let’s take an in-depth look at Joffrey’s, a provider of gourmet coffees and teas for, well, longer than I’ve been alive.
So what has the “preferred provider of espresso coffee for Walt Disney World” been up to?
Joffrey’s Java Beta Test
- Possibly what Joffrey’s is best known for within the realm of social media and throughout the blogosphere is an online campaign they conducted about a year ago. The challenge was to take something as common as coffee and make it into something new and exciting, especially through social media. By framing the campaign around something familiar to all of us who are immersed in new technologies, the Joffrey’s Java Beta Test was thus developed. Essentially, they targeted bloggers, of any genre, and those of us who are generally tech-oriented, by offering up to 10,000 bloggers the opportunity to “test” free samples by simply signing up online. The incentive? Well, free coffee, of course, plus some link love from the Joffrey’s site to yours. The campaign was extremely successful as more than 1,500 bloggers participated, garnering thousands of Web mentions, 250+ links back to Joffrey’s, and hits on major sites like Mashable and CNET.
Coffee 2.0
- We all know it’s not a true beta test unless you receive and then implement criticisms and feedback. Well, Joffrey’s did just that. After receiving feedback from the Java Beta Test, the gourmet coffee folk at Joffrey’s created a brand new brew aimed to please the coffee-holics of the world. The result? Coffee 2.0 – coffee with an “upgraded flavor and taste featuring smooth and smoky overtones” to provide the caf-fiends with “increased focus power for less distraction” and “amplified energy for blogging, coding, or gaming output.” Overall feedback to the new coffee has remained positive. Thanks to Joffrey’s product ratings and reviews, consumers can easily share their opinions with others looking to try any of their products (Coffee 2.0 seems to be the most highly discussed).
Social Networking
- Given the widespread success of the Java Beta Test and Coffee 2.0, I was a bit surprised to find that Joffrey’s has no official Facebook or Twitter presence. This is a company that has blown up in the online community over the past year, so I feel that they could be utilizing a fan page or Twitter account to continue to reach an existing fan/consumer base while broadening their exposure to new consumers. Either of these networks could serve as a great way for Joffrey’s to connect with consumers on an ongoing basis by providing them with the latest news, products, and specials. They already offer these services through their newsletter, but this would be a simple and effective method for expanding their reach.
- Joffrey’s currently has its own coffee club known as the Brewekrewe where members can interact with other coffee and tea lovers. One interesting thing they’ve announced is a yet-to-be-launched online version called The Brewekrewe Community. This online community will offer members a place to interact on a much broader level by logging in to exchange thoughts, ideas, and even their own flavors.
Expresso
- As I mention above, Joffrey’s already has an established newsletter that is available to consumers in both print and online format and via e-mail subscriptions. The newsletter is dubbed “Expresso” with the slogan “Fast News From Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Company.” The first thought that popped into my head when I started reading through this newsletter was, “this could be a really neat blog.” Rather than provide readers and consumers with a once a month newsletter packed with a wide variety of information, why not break the information up into a few blog posts each week to keep people coming back for the next snippet of Joffrey’s scoop. The newsletter contains recipes, business advice, spotlights on where the coffee comes from, and introduces the world to members of the Joffrey’s team. Plus, the name is pretty catchy. I definitely think there’s something in this idea…
Overall, I think this is a pretty cool company that has had some great ideas. I see potential for them to continue to grow their brand through social media and establish themselves as a company that gets it. Did any of you participate in the Java Beta Test? What’d you think? What would you like to see them do in the future? Let me know in the comments!
