Sustainable Evolution of a Brand Symbol
The Call
Our coffee chain client wanted to make a positive environmental impact by moving away from reliance on single-use, disposable cups. They developed multiple prototypes for reusable cups and needed to understand customer perceptions and acceptance of each, as their sustainability goals relied upon mass participation in a returnable cup program. Further, this client needed to ensure a graceful shift away from a longstanding icon within the brand experience that customers would not reject. The team partnered with Catapult Insights to test brand and program fit for multiple cup designs.
Our Response
Multiple project streams were developed to study various aspects of this initiative, including a market test to observe how customers engage with the cup specifically and the returnable program broadly. Our qualitative team conducted interviews among customers in our client’s coffeehouses who received their beverages in the returnable cups to explore their experiences and understanding of the program. A separate workstream was developed to test various cup designs in focus groups conducted after hours at a closed coffeehouse location. This allowed us to immerse respondents in the brand environment while discussing the evolution of the cup, focusing on design cues that feel authentic to the brand as well as the drinking experience.
The Celebration
We set our client up for success by identifying customers’ tolerance for change on numerous levels: the drinking experience, brand evolution, and behavior changes that would ultimately dictate whether reusable cups would be returned or discarded. Our analysis highlighted risks and opportunities for optimization, including design elements that cue value, reliability, and proof-points that tell the intended sustainability story as intended by the program. Spanning multiple workstreams, our reports told a cohesive and cumulative story that client stakeholders have used as a blueprint to adjust cup designs to meet consumer needs and remain true to the brand’s identity.