Mikel Coffee Company

Introduction

Nowadays, drinking coffee is an art. As it is very well known, Greeks are great coffee lovers and they also love the socializing that goes along with it. Every neighborhood in Athens boasts numerous famous and not-so-famous coffee shops. The majority of Greek Coffee Houses sprinkled all over the city are Everest and Grigoris, among many other small businesses. One can enjoy his java break in-house or even as a take-out, as most everyone from young to old does in our rushed times.
As coffee is a legacy in the Greek culture, the variety in coffee flavors and brews have evolved through the years. In the past, one could basically find limited variety of coffee, such as Greek coffee; today, however, coffee has graduated into cold Frappe, filter, and Freddo, among many others.
In September 2002, a new trend arrived in the Greek coffee market known as Starbucks Coffee, a coffee company with long lasting history and great reputation around the world (Starbucks in Greece). It was originally started in 1971 in Seattle, Washington, (Starbucks in Greece) and through the years has managed to establish 20,891 branches around the world (Starbucks). A company with unique blends and single origin coffees, as well as professionally trained and experienced Starbucks employees who build a personal relationship with Starbucks customers, jazz music and a comfortable and upbeat meeting place is offered that make many people talk about their unique coffee experience there.
During the last months, one can notice a new chain of coffee shops named Mikel that have made a strong and rapid appearance on many corners in the city of Athens attracting thousands of customers. This only goes to show that this new trend may be the Greek version of Starbucks, as it is following in its footsteps.

A few words….

• Mikel Coffee Company is a Greek brand that originally started operating in 2008 in the city of Larissa (Mikel Coffee Company).
• It has 84 stores located throughout of Greece, of which 33 are in Athens and 8 are in Larissa (Mikel Coffee Company).
• It offers various and unique blends of coffee from the
most traditional flavors to other types of beverages
Along with coffee, it serves delicious pastries (Mikel Coffee Company).
• It has Corporate Social Responsibility (by donating money to
Action Aid, providing local orphanages with milk, cake, and muffins, offering
Sponsorships to schools) (Mikel Coffee Company).

Goal

• Increase quality services for customers (Flora)

• Eliminate unemployment (Flora)

Brand

• Mikel stands for Maybe It’s Knowledge Entering Life which is also the company’s motto (Mikel Coffee Company).
• The logo of the older man represents the father of the founder (Mikel Coffee Company).
• Colors used are burgundy-representing vigor and elegance (What Does the Colour Burgundy Represent), white-representing goodness and perfection (Color Meaning) and deep yellow-representing energy and creativity (Color Meanings) — all creating a sense of warmth, coziness, and satisfaction — which also depicts the characteristics of the coffee.

Project

As Mikel will be turning six years old in the next few months and as it has become a favorite coffee spot for many, the company has decided to celebrate its birthday with its customers by organizing a large event in the main cities of Athens, Larissa, and Thessaloniki.

When:
The event will take place on June 21 from 10:00am to 18:00 pm. It will be during the first summer month meaning that people will be in a summer spirit looking forward to their summer vacation. They will have started their swimming and sunbathing. The time span also covers the hours the majority of people are at the beach.

Where:
The event will take place at Astir Beach, Vouliagmeni, an organized, clean, and popular beach which attracts numerous of people (of all ages) during the summer months.

What:
Throughout the day, waiters will be serving free iced coffees and other cool beverages, accompanied by snacks. A famous DJ will also be invited to loudly play summer hits in order to cause a party atmosphere. In addition, games will take place from which the winners will win a month of free coffees.

The same event will take place on July 5 at Kastri Loutro Beach in Larisa and on August 2 on Piraia Beach in Thessaloniki.

For this matter, a poster, video spot, and webpage will be created as promotional tools for the big event in which minor alterations will be made on the logo (just for the specific occasion).

Messages

We want to communicate:
• the enthusiasm that Mikel is celebrating its sixth anniversary.
• that due to customer support, the company has managed to blossom and establish so many branches in Greece. For this reason, the company wants to share its fun experience with its fans by offering free coffees and loud music.
• the high quality and unique beverages and snacks that Mikel offers at best prices; that it will continue to offer such services long as they are supported by patrons.

Target Audience

Mikel coffee shops have become very popular the last two years due to their expansion in central cities of Greece.
Its target audience consists mainly of young people from the ages 18 to 45. These people are mainly attracted by the style of the colorful coffee shop which is mainstream and modern.
Also, as the founder is young, this functions as a reason to attract young people and make them support a young entrepreneur.

Campaign’s Logo

The logo will be kept the same. The only changes will be its color (as we want to make it stand out from the usual), by giving it a more happy, bright, and summery colors. In addition, a party hat will be added on the head of the man represented, as well a party blower in his mouth, so it can be easily identifiable that the occasion concerns the company’s birthday. In the meantime, it will be associated with fun.
Our logo and video targeted towards this audience will consist of features that attract them and, at the same time, communicate the identity of this company.

Tools

Poster
A poster will be designed in different sizes so it can be placed at bus stops, at popular points throughout each city, and within the actual shops. It will provide a brief description of the event, as well as all important details such as date and time. The campaign’s colors will be similar to those of the logo’s.

Video
A brief video will be put together to draw attention and to invite people to the event. The video will be shown on popular music channels such as MAD TV and MTV, which attract younger audiences, and also on YOUTUBE before a video starts playing. The objective is to target the previously-mentioned age groups.

Webpage
On Mikel’s official webpage, an additional page will be added describing and offering information on the event. It will also include the campaign’s video and a wall where viewers can express their views and ideas.

References

“Color Meaning.” Color Wheel Pro. Web. April 2014.

“Color Meanings.” Design By Joyce. Web. April 2014.

Flora, Christina. “Mikel Coffee: The Greek Answer To Starbucks.”Greece. Greek
Reporter.gr. 26 Aug. 2013. Web. March 2014.

Mikel Coffee Company. Web. March 2014.

“Mikel Coffee Company.” Wikipedia. 1 Jan.2014. Web. March 2014.

“Starbucks in Greece.” Starbucks Coffee Company,Greece. Web. March 2014.

“Starbucks.” Wikipedia. 26 Mar. 2014. Web. March 2014.

“What Does the Colour Burgundy Represent?” Wiki.Answers. Web. April 2014.