Morning Grind Strategic Campaign

Case Study: Strategic Brand Campaign

The Morning Grind

THE CLIENT

Morning Grind is a local Milledgeville breakfast and coffee shop located within walking distance of the Georgia College campus. The owners, Bridgette and Jared Smith, are Georgia College alumni who turned their dream of owning a coffee shop into a reality in October 2022. They serve traditional espressos, coffees, and lattes, and they also sell a variety of specialty drinks and smoothies, along with a wide range of sandwich and pastry options. They also have a coffee truck which they started renting out around May/ April. The coffee truck is co-funded by the Morning Grind owners and the Life Enrichment Center.

Although they are new in the community, their friendly atmosphere and small-town charm have made a positive impression on the community as well as Georgia College students. Their efforts have been successful as they won 2023’s best coffee shop in Baldwin County.

Their mission statements are “#keep on grinding” and “#how do you grind”. Their brand position is they seek to get to know their customers and keep themselves involved in the community while serving affordable food and coffee along the way.

SWOT ANALYSIS

COMPETITION

EXTERNAL FACTORS

Target Audience/Public The median age in Milledgeville is 26.6 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2021). According to a study, the people who spend the most on coffee are ages 25-34. So, based on census information, the age demographic of Milledgeville's population creates a good consumer base for Morning Grind since the median age is the most likely to buy coffee at coffee shops (PBFY Flexible Packaging, 2018). Morning Grind’s current target audience is college girls aged 18-24 with a middle to upper-class socioeconomic status.

The current average salary in Milledgeville is $36,000, and due to this, they are more likely to be makers and strivers (U.S. Census and Point2, 2021). Milledgeville residents have been consuming at the same local, well-established businesses, so they may be hesitant and skeptical to try new, local places especially since there is already a wellestablished cafe, Blackbird. Morning Grind could change this by putting an emphasis on the fact that they have coffee, as well as food, and the owners strive to increase community involvement.

The owners are the sole shareholders and funders of this business, their internal publics are just the owners, as well as their employees. Their employees are mainly college students, matching their target audience of college-aged girls. Their internal publics may be limited compared to other businesses since they are still starting up and do not have investors.

Economic Factors Although this industry is profitable, there are around 37,189 coffee shops in the United States, making it extremely competitive, especially amongst the big chain shops (World Coffee Portal, 2021). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, coffee store sales decreased by $11.5 billion (World Coffee Portal, 2021). After two years of turmoil and shifts in consumer purchasing decisions, this industry made a miraculous recovery. In 2022, the coffee market recovered to 96% of the value it had before the pandemic (World Coffee Portal, 2021). Although, this economic success is predicted to have a short-term decline as fluctuations in the economy occur.

OBJECTIVES, STRATEGIES, & TACTICS