Folgers' Coffee

Mission

How can Folgers’ coffee become the leader in the category?

We are selling coffee, and it is a commodity. How can we be different, unique and successful?

Code

DIscovery

At the time, everybody was selling taste.

In America, the first imprint occurs when you are a two-year-old. You don’t drink coffee at this age, so your first imprint is AROMA.

So

What ?

The logic of emotion associated with aroma imprints a powerful REFERENCE SYSTEM activated each time we smell coffee.
This reference system is: Mother is in the kitchen. She is preparing breakfast. She is going to feed me; she loves me; I am home, I am safe, I am happy.
Folger’s should never show somebody drinking coffee.
New positioning: We are not in the taste but aroma business.
Design of the can. We injected aroma on top, so you immediately smell the coffee when you open it.

The commercial that everybody remembers:

A boy is returning from the army; he is in uniform (because war is dangerous, we want to show that home, by contrast, is safe).

Mother is upstairs sleeping. He goes directly to the kitchen and opens a can of Folger’s coffee (*pcheeeeeet*, the aroma is released). He prepares coffee but does not drink it. The aroma goes upstairs and wakes up his mother. She opens her eyes and says (we know exactly the words she has to use because the code for aroma is home and safe). She says, “HE IS HOME, HE IS SAFE.” She rushes downstairs and hugs the boy (touching is reptilian).

We tested it, and People were crying!

The

Results

Folgers remained n°1 in its category for over 0 years.

SOME WORDS

FROM OUR CLIENTS

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