Eight O'Clock Coffee Brings Its Marketing Effort Up To D8

A coffee brand that got its start nearly 90 years ago is jumping on the non-traditional marketing bandwagon as it seeks to rejuvenate itself by refreshing its Web site, partnering with a design guru and an online wedding site and creating an online contest centered on the number 8.

The "Gr8 Wedding D8" contest at eightoclock.com offers the winning couple a wedding celebration for up to 100 guests on the most sought-after wedding date of the year, 08/08/08. The location: a multimillion-dollar estate in Southampton, N.Y. The wedding planner: celebrity design guru Evette Ríos, in partnership with theknot.com. In line with the theme, entrants must submit eight sentences describing why they should win the contest.

"We have 8 in our name," says Alisa Jacoby, senior brand manager for the Montvale, N.J.-based company. "And as we were moving into '08, we decided to leverage the power of 8. Eight is also a lucky number in the Chinese culture."

A wedding contest seemed right, she says, because many of the brand's consumers start making coffee at home only after they get married. Before then, as single people, they tend to pick up coffee outside the home. "So they get the coffee brewer as a shower gift and they think, 'Hmmm, what do I do with this?'," says Jacoby. "We're introducing them to Eight O'Clock Coffee. We want to be a part of consumers' lifestyles in their homes."

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Although the name was trademarked in 1919, the coffee was being sold in A&P stores as far back as 1859 (when the retail outlet was better known as the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co.). Today, the brand is owned by Tata Group of India.

In the last few years since Tata purchased it, Eight O'Clock has worked to revamp the brand, conducting a mystery contest last October, some sampling and First Night events. Jacoby says it is working to go beyond the standard FSI strategy to reach today's consumer, who finds nontraditional strategies more relevant.

Support for the contest includes a refreshed Web site launching on Monday, public relations, a mention in Sunday's FSI, and an appearance on partner theknot.com. Agency S3 is handling turnkey contest creation and promotion.

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