Brands are spending more than ever on digital media, yet consumers are noticing less of it. Let's face it, most people can see an ad coming a mile away and skip right past it. The over-proliferation of irrelevant, boring, and overtly promotional content has trained consumers to simply ignore it. Then advertisers wonder why performance keeps getting harder to sustain.

Since 1933, illycaffè has been a globally recognized leader in producing premium, sustainably sourced coffee, but in recent years, has faced various challenges with gaining traction and affinity amongst coffee lovers in the U.S. In today’s coffee landscape, brands are navigating rising costs, intense competition, and increasingly discerning consumers who expect more than just quality claims alone, and in the U.S. especially, shelves and street corners are over-saturated with coffee options while consumers have become progressively more critical of brand authenticity. Meaning, in order for illy to stand out from its competition, it would require more than just a great cup of coffee.

Turns out, when you put people first, good things happen (again and again). Like… for 11 years in a row.

Budgets are lean and marketing leaders are consistently asked to do more with less. And, when it comes to experiential campaigns some brands look internally first or turn to PR partners because, on the surface, events might feel like public relations.

Media Contact
Melissa Burns
Director of Marketing & Communications
914-384-0945
mburns@inspiramarketing.com

Celebrating 50 years in distribution, HI-CHEW, the famous fruity chewy candy from Japan, was on the cusp of a U.S. breakthrough. The brand had secured strong national retail distribution and cultivated a passionate online fanbase known for hunting down elusive flavors, but despite that loyalty, mainstream awareness remained limited in the U.S. HI-CHEW wasn’t yet a household name; it was still in discovery.

You convinced your CMO to invest in a brand experience at a music festival. You built the booth, made the investment in the merch, and stocked the samples. Some people showed up, picked up a few samples, left the swag, and...walked away.

There are a few things you can always count on during the Big Game: Snacks will be elite. Someone will burn something in the oven. Rivalry banter will be ruthless. And at least one person will claim they are “only watching for the football,” while never once looking up from their phone.

Most brands think they’re doing experiential marketing when they launch an Instagrammable pop-up or hand out free samples at a sporting event. But the truth is: tactics without strategy are just noise. They might create a quick spike in awareness, but it’s rarely anything that lasts.

Café Bustelo has always stood for living life passionately, inviting everyone to sip in the vibrant, magnetic energy of Latin culture, but as the brand prepared to debut a new line of roasts and flavors (Light, Medium, Dark, and Dulce de Leche), the moment called for more than an average product launch. It was an opportunity to extend Café Bustelo’s passionate following beyond its core audience and cultivate genuine relationships with a broader, mainstream consumer base.