sMUG marketing and branding
head of marketing | alyce kohler
about Acting as the Head of Marketing for a Young Enterprise Company, this portfolio highlights the advertising and promotion of sMUG from 2012-2013. A sMUG is based on the Americano take-away mug, made out of polypropene; the sMUG is reusable, BPA free and contains a double wall to act as an insulator. In addition, it is also dishwasher and microwave safe. Featuring punny slogans, sMUG provides an original and exciting product for everyone!
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The target market was initially aimed at teenagers and young adults, however we soon discovered that sMUG’s appealed to all ages; this led to bulk buying by current businesses which acted as a huge sum of our profits.
The aim of the Americano mug was to give a warm, snug feeling. The name sMUG was chosen to emphasize the product as well as for use as a logo. The boldness of the branding was used to create an exciting brand.
Starting with a £424.91 profit from cake sales, sMUG’s capital was quadrupled in 7 months through sales and bulk orders from businesses. By the end of the year, sMUG had a sales revenue of over £10,000 and a net profit of over £6,000.
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slogans The sMUG brand image is based around our extended list of punny slogans. By focusing on hot drinks, these puns were not only used on the mugs but also on social media, in order to create a fun and memorable brand.
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trade stand Created in the style of a coffee shop, the trade stand featured a custom chalk backboard, a professional till, personalised sMUG stands, as well as a central bar, all of which I built myself. With sales in Camden Markets, Brent Cross Shopping Centre, Milton Keynes and at school, sMUG won Best Overall Trade Stand at 4 out of the 5 competitions we entered.
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extras To try and keep costs low, brown paper bags were used for sales. By adding a simple sMUG sticker, the company was able to still have a personalised feature that could be recognised when carried around. Business cards were designed to promote the brand; both professional and creative, these allowed the image of sMUG to spread further than school.
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pop campaign The ‘pop’ campaign was created to promote the second batch of sMUG’s for sale, with newly added slogans and colours. These posters were very effective posted around school and on social media pages. The bold colours and wacky design highlight the sMUG brand by drawing attention to the products.
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sMUGs
The sMUGshot competiiton an interaction with custom sMUG by posting a ‘sMUGsho relevant puns were used t teachers in front of a height m others to ge
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shots
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www.smugco.com
Jonathan Newman @jnewman6899 Have a look at @sMUGcompany. These people have got something big going on. Get in at the beginning. I have.
@sMUGcompany
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Gosbert @gosbert A group of young women who’ve set up @sMUGcompany very, very cool idea + brand, I’m inspired :-) YE West London @YEWestLondon RT @JoeBinder96: @sMUGcompany is definitely the most well marketed young neterprise i’ve ever seen - very clever
social media With over 4,000 daily views, sMUG’s facebook page was booming. We took the initiative and created a website where customers could buy sMUGs online; this increased our sales and added over £350 to our profits. Twitter was a great way for sMUG to broadcast puns and news; there were a lot of positive comments and promotions from our very own customers.
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awards sMUG’s many awards highlight the effort and dedication exerted by team members. Best Trade Stand St. George’s Fair December 2012
Best Overall Company Milton Keynes Fair January 2013
Best Overall Product Milton Keynes Fair January 2013
Best Overall Company
Best Trade Stand Brent Cross March 2013
Harrow Finals April 2013
Best Company Report Harrow Finals April 2013
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publicity sMUG’s featured articles proved to spark interest in a number of customers. This form of publicity meant that sMUG was approached by Ocado, who wanted to become part of the business and sell sMUG products on their website.
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sustainability Taking the environment into consideration, sMUGs were proudly made and shipped in the UK, using polypropylene. sMUG was keen to promote sustainability, encouraging people to use re-usuable mugs rather than waste paper cups. Large coffee chains such as Starbucks offer a discount on drinks if you bring your own cup; we used this factor as a large part of our sales pitches.
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sMUG alyce kohler alyce@kohler.net