Project Name: Second Cup

Project Description: Brand Positioning / Identity Management; Strategic Planning

Driven to build a powerfully differentiated specialty coffee experience, Second Cup engaged LEVEL5 to conduct a significant review of its business and brand. This enabled the development of a new brand strategy with a go-to-market plan that aligned the business to the new promise.

The mandate involved a review of the business and brand at all touch points as well as obtaining input and perspectives from a diverse range of stakeholders including consumers, franchisees, management and operational teams. Subsequently invoking an in-depth Strategic Brand Assessment and development of a new Brand Value Proposition and Positioning. The project encompassed the cafes in the Canadian and international markets (e.g. United Arab Emirates, Kuwait City, Qatar, Oman and Beirut).

Key challenges of this venture were alignment of the multiple stakeholders involved, narrowing down the core defining attributes from a wide array of brand strengths and procuring a new “market ready” brand concept within an aggressive fixed timeline.

The Brand Vision and Promise that LEVEL5 created with the Second Cup Team has had a profound impact on the company’s approach to brand management, culture and its operations. Second Cup anticipates opening a significant number of new cafés in 2006 and 2007. In addition, they will also renovate and modernize a large number of cafés within the network. Since the launch of the new Value Proposition, sales are perpetually improving. Second Cup is pacing well ahead of plan and is in-line with its key competitors’ performance.