In America today, at least 50% of the population drinks some form of coffee. That’s somewhere in the neighborhood of 150 million Americans. Coffee is enjoying a lofty position in the hierarchy of mainstream trends. But coffee, having been consumed in the United States since its conception, is no trend. Coffee popularity is booming and so are the number of people supplying it. However, in a world dominated by Starbucks’ pricey lattes and Dunkin Donuts’ mediocre attempts to follow suit, as well as many others, how could a new coffee company ever stand out? By having the “strongest coffee in the world.” That is the motto of Death Wish Coffee Company. Death Wish coffee started as a small coffee shop in Saratoga Springs, NY, founded by Mike Brown. Mike created his own blend of beans and combined it with his own roasting technique to create his differentiated product. Progress was steady until Mike and his team won Intuit’s “Small Business Big Game” competition, landing them a 30-second commercial spot during Super Bowl 50. Since then their sales and business have grown exponentially. Death Wish Coffee were sponsors of the New York Comic Con, NASCAR, and the special Olympics, they event sent their coffee into orbit with the International Space Station. From their humble beginnings, Mike and his team have adapted and grown their product to disrupt their market through differentiation and will reap the benefits of their hard work, well into the future.
As a coffee lover myself I love to hear this. I love Starbucks, but I think they are in need of some competition in the market. I am excited about the potential of Death Wish Coffee Co. taking off. Lastly, I think this was such a risky venture that started as a small business and they have been given the opportunity to grow in a market that is saturated and dominated.
I love how they saw a market that was not changing and had no plans to change and created something amazing! This is something that all young entrepreneurs strive to do. Nice post!
It’s an interesting approach to marketing. The brand name itself is eccentric and memorable which likely helped the company make the most of their 30 second super bowl ad slot. Mike Brown did a great job in finding a niche within a massive market and taking full advantage of it. I think the brand will be greatly benefit from word of mouth advertising because people enjoy a product that is uniquely and perfectly fits the strong coffee lover niche.
You can find a coffee shop almost anywhere but almost all of them are the same, until now. Death wish coffee is a great idea because its something different in the coffee industry. Although it might not be a coffee people get everyday, it will always be attracting new people because of its rarity. This shop is a great example of good marketing is one of the main reasons they have been successful.
I myself am not a coffee drinker but they have created an amazing product. It is extremely hard to find ways to stand out in over crowded businesses such as the coffee business. Yet Death Wish Coffee has done so. It is a brilliant marketing concept to have the strongest coffee. That alone will set you apart from all of your competition and drive customers coming in to try your extremely unique product.
Death Wish Coffee Co. has a name that really sticks out and differentiates itself from competitors. In a difficult market to get into with big names leading the pack, an outstanding marketing technique through its name, Death Wish Coffee Co. will be rewarded. People will want to buy the product just because of how unique the name is along with the different formula of coffee that is different than any other.
Deathwish is a great example of how a unique value proposition that is effective can create an opportunity where there seemingly was none. These founders are a great example of the place of innovation in market development.