One of the key things in business we don't want to do and that is deliberately antagonize the customer.
This is especially the case in today's hyper-connected marketplace where a displeased customer can easily snipe about a negative brand experience to hundreds, if not thousands, of their 'closest' friends on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.
Company executives fear a customer rant might snowball into something larger and all of a sudden they have full-scale consumer negativity on their hands. That's why it takes real courage for a brand to do what it thinks is right, even if that means upsetting its customers.
Brands that attract strong, cult-like followings will often have a clear set of principles or beliefs they convey at every given chance.
Intelligentsia Coffee is one such brand that stands by what it believes in.
Espresso, Intelligentsia from Department of the 4th Dimension on Vimeo.
In 2008 Intelligentsia made the controversial decision to stop serving 20-ounce coffee and espresso beverages in its stores.
Here's how the Chicago Tribune reported it - 'Small. Medium. Gone.'
According to Wikipedia: (Founder, Doug) Zell stated that the proportions are altered at such large quantities and certain drinks become watered-down, arguing that 20-ounce drinks end up "masking and adulterating the pure, intense flavors we work hard to source, roast and produce. We don't want this to just be a caffeine delivery device."
Food for thought isn't it? Sometimes it can be quite a powerful marketing strategy to zig while everyone else zags. What about your brand?
- Does it live by its principles?
- Are you willing to lose customers by sticking by your core brand beliefs?
About Intelligensia Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea, colloquially known as Intelligentsia, is a coffee roasting company and retailer with its headquarters at 1850 W. Fulton Street in Chicago. Intelligentsia has several cafe retail locations throughout the Chicago area.
The company was founded in 1995 by Doug Zell and Emily Mange. They supply coffee to various Chicago-area cafes and restaurants, as well as other locations in the US and Canada. They generally buy their beans directly from growers in Central America, South America, East Africa, and Ethiopia. They use vintage German roasters to roast their beans daily.
