Summary
Aim: Utilising their experience of finely milling flour used in biscuit production, Kenco was able to make micro-milled coffee. All they now needed was a go-to-market strategy.
Outcome: We leveraged a lean start-up approach of fast, iterative insight work, coupled with visual prototypes of what the end product could look like, learning our way to the answer. 3 weeks later we had a winning concept, a category name and the key features of this new product locked down. We called the category ‘whole-bean instant coffee’.
Consultancy: ?What If! Innovation, London
Role: Innovation | Creative Strategy | Research
Activities
Interviewed 15 customers and talked “coffee”, leaning about their emotional drivers and opinions with regards to all things coffee
Conceptualised early ideas
Facilitated stakeholder workshops at Head Office in Amsterdam, collaboratively designing and gaining further input in the concept development
Tested a final round of idea to establish the wining concept
Outcome
Kenco’s ‘Millicano’ launched in 2011. Within 4 weeks, it had sold nearly a million packs, and became their most successful coffee launch ever. It was responsible for huge incremental growth and pulling in non-instant drinkers and rejectors of instant back into the brand franchise. Mondelez, owner of the Kenco brand, is the biggest player in the super-premium market, which is now worth £57.8m in value terms.