In 2018, Royal Cup Coffee & Tea (Royal Cup) — a leading US and Caribbean importer, roaster and distributor of premium and specialty coffees and teas – launched a ready-to-drink line (RTD) of cold brew coffees. Primarily a B2B brand, this marked Royal Cup’s first entry into the retail space in more than 50 years. With the difficulty of launching a new consumer-facing product line, Royal Cup challenged Markstein to reach consumers and drive sales in the extremely crowded RTD space.

We developed a launch strategy that optimized awareness and drove customer conversions through media relations, advertising, social media, gamification and email marketing.

Markstein activated the plan with media pitching to national publications and in targeted, priority markets. Through organic social media content and paid advertising in a variety of digital channels, we drove customers to a custom landing page with data-capture functionality that reinforced messaging with product information and showcased media placements. Gamification through social contests and product giveaways drove participation and brand awareness, while email marketing provided tailored information for both current and prospective customers.

Markstein secured 287 organic media placements that garnered approximately 66.2 million impressions and generated 1,554 website conversions and 1.35 million impressions with paid campaigns. By developing a tailored, measurable and outcome-focused marketing strategy, Markstein effectively introduced Royal Cup and its new cold brew product offerings to consumers nationwide and helped attract new customers who will positively impact the company’s bottom line for years to come.