Coca-Cola and Italian coffee maker Illycaffe are taking a slow and deliberate approach in their launch of a line of coffee drinks called Illy Issimo, Joy Guy Collier reports. But there's nothing
half-hearted about their goal, which is to turn Illy Issimo into the global leader for premium ready-to-drink coffees, according to Vinay Kapoor, CEO of Ilko Coffee International, the joint venture
based in Milan, Italy.
Coke and Illy want to build the brand primarily through trial and word-of-mouth, Kapoor says, and most of the marketing will focus on sampling and in-store
displays. To establish a connection to Illy's hot coffee, Issimo cans will be displayed next to tins of the Illy roasted coffee in supermarkets.
"This is not going to be a product and
brand strategy led by 'let's try to maximize the geographic coverage'," Kapoor said. "That's easy for us to do in the Coke system. But we don't want to do it that way. We're being very careful and
choiceful about how we do it."
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