Peet’s Coffee brews large integrated campaign with Mischief
February 11 - 2024
Coffee Geography Magazine
The messaging for Peet’s new campaign puts the focus on coffee in its simplest form, an attempt at looking past the intricate coffee-based drinks that other coffee brands often showcase. One spot satirizes drink orders like “one non-fat, extra dry cinnamon triple-cherry chai latte with sweet persimmon fizzer, hold the foam,” instead focusing on the amount of time it trains its roasters. Another spot sees a yuppie couple asking a coffee farmer which aisle the “birthday cake blend” is in.
“Coffee companies have kind of lost the plot recently in terms of caring about actual coffee. So it felt like rich territory for Peet’s to come out and show our priority is simply coffee, quality coffee,” said Jessica Buttimer, vice president of brand marketing at Peet’s in a statement.
This new positioning is based on company research indicating that Americans drink an average of 3.3 cups of coffee per day, which can be more than water intake for many. Among coffee lovers, 74% say having a cup of coffee is the best part of their day, with 87% saying they can tell a good cup of coffee from a bad one. Thirty-six percent of respondents would even consider themselves coffee connoisseurs.
In addition to new ads, the multifaceted campaign includes OOH placements in markets such as San Francisco, Boston, Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles. Paid digital elements are set to appear across Hulu, Amazon, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube and Spotify.
The effort arrives as JDE Peet’s, the coffee brand’s parent company, is struggling, with stock dropping approximately 40% since it went public in 2020. The company has reportedly lost market share to competitors and has significant debt. By teaming up with the agency, Peet’s has an opportunity to carve out a niche for itself among coffee drinkers amid marketing efforts from competitors like Starbucks, Dunkin’ and others.
Mischief is riding a recent wave of success, having won seven Cannes Lions this year across multiple clients, with efficacy heralded as one of the agency’s strengths. Recent work from the agency includes packaging for Capri Sun made to look like noise canceling headphones.