THE BRIEF

With over 400 stores across 9 countries and in its third decade, The Coffee Club is not only Australia’s largest home-grown cafe group it is also an Australian hospitality icon. 

With the cafe playing field more competitive then ever - filled with lots of local and independent cafes at one end and Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs) that follow the same category conventions at the other, The Coffee Club was suffering from a tired and confused identity. It had become less relevant and not as widely considered.

The brand was in danger of entering a commoditised space where it was more known than liked. The Coffee Club didn’t have an awareness issue to overcome, we had a consideration and perception issue to solve.

SERVICES
Logo
Brand Identity
Brand Video
Store Signage
Environmental Graphics
Store Communications
Packaging
Uniform Design
Merchandise
Brand Style Guide
Signage Guidelines
Store Palette
Ongoing Creative Direction

Previous Identity

Ideation

THE PROCESS

Kicking off the process was a comprehensive research project unpacking customer insights and category opportunities. The biggest learning was the experience gap. 94% of Australian know about The Coffee Club, but only 20% of Australians are experiencing The Coffee Club; with lack of relevance and differentiation cited as the main reason. Though The Coffee Club was frequented by all age groups, lifestyles, professions and occasion types, an opportunity was defined around attracting a younger audience.

We worked with The Coffee Club Executive team and International Board to reimagine a new brand identity inspired by their defining qualities; human, optimistic, caring and filoxenia (that’s Greek for welcoming customers like you would a guest in your own home). 

At the heart of it all we created a bold new logo. A stylised ‘C’ that personifies connection and a symbol that staff can wear with pride. The introduction of an icon into the brand toolkit alongside a new typographic wordmark a critical component, noting that their previous purely typographic logo didn’t serve today’s channels notably digital and social.

Complimenting the new logo we developed a new colour palette, photography and typography approach, introduced an upbeat tone of voice and smile in the mind illustrations. The combination; a visual and verbal language that captures delight and a warm welcome across an array of touchpoints.

We worked with the business in defining and designing the brand experience, from store signage to uniform design, packaging to store communications, down to details such as introducing coffee machines in the new brand egg shell blue.

The business also undertook a deep dive into their operations, re-looking at everything from digital technology, data, service, partners, loyalty, to menu, take-away and sustainability. Though they recognised they needed a new identity, they understood that a change above the door would mean nothing if the experience itself had not been changed.

“It’s not often that design expertise meets real world business and commercial reality with such precision. The team at Accompany are pros in brand strategy, identity development and design – and their consideration and understanding around application is invaluable.”

MEGAN MAGILL
FORMER CHIEF BRAND OFFICER
MINOR DKL FOOD GROUP
THE COFFEE CLUB

THE OUTCOME

Accompanied by improvements to their menu (we rate the smashed avo on sourdough!), operations and service, new systems, technology, store design and a particular focus on Rewards and Loyalty — the new identity was more than a freshen up, it signified the wholesale change across The Coffee Club experience.

The internal launch of the new brand was met with tears (of joy) and many excited franchisees and despite the pandemic The Coffee Club achieved impressive results. Outperforming cafe/restaurant cafe by 15% (measured by the Australian Bureau of Statistics) and witnessing a 5.3% rise in net promoter score (NPS), with a reduced average loyal age from 62 to 52. 

In recognition of the impact of the change The Coffee Club won Brand Transformation of the Year - Australia at the Retail Asia Awards 2021.