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Erbert & Gerbert’s: Holiday Wraps
erbert & gerbert’s , retail , restaurant , viral , package design , award winning , effie , food , packaging
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Erbert & Gerbert’s: Holiday Wraps

Erbert & Gerbert Holiday Sandwich Wraps

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Erbert & Gerbert’s Subs and Clubs is a quirky restaurant chain that tasked us with getting a holiday gift certificate message to stand out from the clutter and clamor of the season. Holiday wrap transformed each sub into a present, and inside, customers discovered the message “Subs make great gifts.”

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Erbert & Gerbert’s: Human Flipbook
erbert & gerbert’s , retail , restaurant , youtube , social media , viral , video , food
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Erbert & Gerbert’s: Human Flipbook

Erbert & Gerbert's Erbert & Gerbert's Human Flipbook

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Visit the site: humanflipbook.com »

150 T-shirts + 1 overworked iron ÷ 30 seconds = the world’s first Human Flipbook. Looking to connect with its core collegiate audience, what started out as a late-night TV spot running on Comedy Central and MTV went on to become a viral online sensation. Hundreds of blogs posted about it. Millions of people viewed it. CNN covered it. And Erbert & Gerbert’s Q4 sales were up in an otherwise flat quick-serve restaurant category.

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Erbert & Gerbert’s: Rebranding Case Study
erbert & gerbert’s , retail , restaurant , package design , award winning , effie , food
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Erbert & Gerbert’s: Rebranding Case Study

Erbert & Gerbert Rebranding

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Solution

In order to reinvigorate Erbert & Gerbert’s, we went back their very humble, albeit quirky, beginning. At the core of the brand are imaginative bedtime stories a father told his 7-year-old and 9-year-old children, Erbert and Gerbert Herbert. Just as the children make fun discoveries throughout their adventures, we wanted people to have as much fun discovering the E&G brand. Our big idea was embodied in our campaign’s theme line: Subs Worth Discovering. We made sure every touchpoint was worth discovering — from a redesign of the store experience to a simple, easy-to-use, print-on-demand system, which allowed franchisees to customize campaigns at the local level and the company to track use and results. Finally, we created an innovative, integrated advertising campaign that generated positive sales and earned global media coverage for the chain. Not only did the work earned a shelf full of awards, including a Gold EFFIE, but it was also featured on CNN, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, the CBS Early Show and VH1. But our proudest moment was being named Vendor of the Year by the franchisee network.

Challenge

Erbert & Gerbert’s, a quirky sub chain in the Midwest, is outspent by competitors such as Jimmy John’s, Potbelly and marketing behemoth Subway. Not only was it being outspent 130 to 1 by its competitors, it also had an outdated image that hadn’t been refreshed in 20 years. To build the business in a highly competitive environment, it would have to focus on what made its store experience unique and connect with those who valued it.

Erbert & Gerbert’s: Store Design
erbert & gerbert’s , retail , restaurant , package design , award winning , food , point-of-sale (pos)
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Erbert & Gerbert’s: Store Design

At Erbert & Gerbert’s, each sandwich is named for a character in a series of bedtime stories that the founder was told by his father. But that connection was getting lost in their existing store graphics. We gave the stores a complete makeover, giving them a look that feels more contemporary, more whimsical and, well, more E&G. From storybooks behind shadow boxes to a clearer and cleaner menu board to a wall mural that welcomes customers, the stories have truly come to life, and sales have spiked.

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Erbert & Gerbert’s: Find The Pickle Ad
erbert & gerbert’s , retail , restaurant , effie , award winning , food , print ad
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Erbert & Gerbert’s: Find The Pickle Ad

With a majority of Erbert & Gerbert’s Subs and Clubs located near college campuses, alternative newsweeklies were the perfect vehicle to serve up nontraditional ads. To boost store traffic, we focused on two things that were near and dear to students: having fun and free food.

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Erbert & Gerbert’s: Connect the Dots Mailers
erbert & gerbert’s , retail , restaurant , award winning , effie , food , direct mail
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Erbert & Gerbert’s: Connect the Dots Mailers

At the core of the Erbert & Gerbert’s Sub and Clubs brand are bedtime stories a father told his children, starring Erbert and Gerbert Herbert. Just as these characters make fun discoveries throughout their adventures, we wanted people to have as much fun discovering our messages. Here our Subs Worth Discovering campaign took a participatory angle in an old-time favorite way.

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Erbert & Gerbert’s: Candle Cannon
erbert & gerbert’s , retail , restaurant , youtube , social media , viral , video , food
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Erbert & Gerbert’s: Candle Cannon

Erbert & Gerbert's Erbert & Gerbert's Candle Cannon

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Visit the site: candlecannon.com »

How do you celebrate 20 years of making great subs? With a 20th Anniversary Blowout, of course. We built the world’s largest air vortex cannon to get E&G’s customers excited about this tasty milestone. 850,000+ (free) online views later, our client is still celebrating.

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Erbert & Gerbert’s: Packaging Design
erbert & gerbert’s , retail , restaurant , viral , package design , award winning , effie , food , packaging
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Erbert & Gerbert’s: Packaging Design

We’d redone their store interiors, refreshed their quirky characters and stories, updated their logo and menu board, created some fresh viral content, and now we’ve redesigned Erbert & Gerbert’s packaging.

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Caribou Coffee: Revitalizing The Nation’s Second Largest Coffeehouse
caribou coffee , food , coffee , beverage , case studies , user generated content , award winning , retail , facebook , welcome
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Caribou Coffee: Revitalizing The Nation’s Second Largest Coffeehouse

Caribou Coffee Rebranding

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Solution

Our insights indicated that consumers are willing to pay a little more for a premium cup of coffee, in part because they’re also buying an experience. To better communicate the soul of the brand and differentiate the Caribou experience from its more-corporate competitors, we relaunched the brand by evolving the founders’ original tagline, “Life is short. Stay awake for it.” This seize-the-day mentality permeated through every brand touchpoint. No longer was a Caribou cup simply a cup, but rather, it is a reminder that life’s worth staying awake for. Since the relaunch, shareholder value has increased, traffic has improved and comp sales increased for the first time in three years, while outperforming the QSR industry. A 500 percent jump in Facebook fans increased online engagement and the campaign has been spotlighted in everything from PerezHilton.com to Fast Company.

Challenge

Caribou Coffee is the world’s second-largest premium coffeehouse, but consecutive years of sales declines, driven by a recession that vilified the $4 mocha, left Caribou Coffee in the position of redefining its value and brand experience. Caribou needed to distinguish itself from competitors as disparate as Starbucks and McDonald’s.

Caribou Coffee: Make The Cup Case Study
caribou coffee , food , coffee , beverage , webby , user generated content , bouisms , award winning , retail , facebook , twitter , youtube , social media , app , interactive
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Caribou Coffee: Make The Cup Case Study

Caribou Coffee Make The Cup

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Visit the site: www.cariboucoffee.com/makethecup »

Solution

Colle+McVoy realized that Caribou’s broadest reaching media vehicle was its cups. Millions of cups each year serve as walking billboards or “owned” media. With the brand relaunch, we created a series of cups featuring handwritten “Bouisms” highlighting things worth staying awake for. Building on that momentum, we created MakeTheCup.com, which allowed consumers to tell us what they stay awake for, and possibly land on the next generation of Caribou cups. The consumer promotion spiked site traffic by 26 percent, and 150 of the best submissions made it to millions of new Caribou cups.

Challenge

Despite being the second-largest premium coffeehouse in the world, Caribou Coffee is dwarfed by Starbucks when it comes to ad spending. With such a large spending gap, we needed to find a unique promotion to engage customers in our “Life is short. Stay awake for it.” campaign.

Caribou Coffee: Oven Shelter
caribou coffee , food , coffee , beverage , perez hilton , celebrity , obie , award winning , bus stop , retail , bus shelter
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Caribou Coffee: Oven Shelter

Caribou Coffee Oven Shelter

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To help Caribou Coffee launch its hot and fresh Daybreaker breakfast sandwiches, we decided to heat things up a bit. To do this, we created ovens out of transit shelters, complete with real heaters and working clocks. This not only allowed us to showcase Caribou’s new “Hot ‘n Wholesome” menu items, it also benefited Minnesotans during their frigid winter commutes. Some of the world’s top culture and food blogs celebrated the work along with the industry, including The One Show, Creativity and Adweek. Noted cultural blogger Perez Hilton declared it the “Hottest Advertisement Ever…Literally!”

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Caribou Coffee: Coffee Bag Redesign
caribou coffee , food , coffee , beverage , package design , retail , packaging
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Caribou Coffee: Coffee Bag Redesign

Caribou Coffee Bag Redesign

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With the help of Colle+McVoy, Caribou Coffee launched an extensive brand redesign last year that continues to roll out this year. The new coffee bag design now wraps the entire bag with burlap and labels that give the packaging more of a handcrafted and artisan feel. The front label for each specific coffee was kept simple and includes a small hand-rendered sketch that identifies the country of origin or the unique coffee blend.

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Caribou Coffee: Cup Design
caribou coffee , food , coffee , beverage , bouisms , package design , minnesota , sports , relaunch , retail , packaging
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Caribou Coffee: Cup Design

Since Caribou is significantly outspent by its competitors, Colle+McVoy paid special attention to the design of its number one touchpoint, the cup. We extended Caribou Coffee’s brand tagline "Life is short. Stay awake for it." to their cups, turning them into mobile messaging platforms that captured inspiring messages that are lovingly called "Bouisms." Each size featured different Bouisms. We have even created customized cups for their Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings sponshorships.

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Caribou Coffee: Holiday 2010
caribou coffee , food , coffee , beverage , retail , package design , holiday , packaging
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Caribou Coffee: Holiday 2010

Caribou Coffee Holiday

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Colle+McVoy just launched a holiday campaign for Caribou Coffee, the second-largest gourmet coffeehouse operator in the world. The in-store experience captures the optimism of the brand and celebrates the "Season to Shine."

Caribou Coffee: Chocolate Press Release
caribou coffee , food , coffee , beverage , chocolate , retail
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Caribou Coffee: Chocolate Press Release

To ensure the media took notice of Caribou’s new chocolate drinks made with real Guittard chocolate, we sent them something they were sure to love. A huge hunk of chocolate. This first-ever chocolate press release featured all key information etched in chocolate. We hope, they took notes before they indulged.

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Caribou Coffee: Amy’s Blend
caribou coffee , food , coffee , beverage , tea , retail , cause marketing , package design , packaging
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Caribou Coffee: Amy’s Blend

Caribou Coffee Amy's Blend

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Amy Erickson was a roastmaster at Caribou Coffee who lost a valiant battle to breast cancer. A special blend is created each year in her honor and 10 percent of the sales are donated to Susan G. Komen for the Cure®. This year, in addition to coffee, merchandise and point-of-sale items, our client asked us to create packaging for a new Amy’s Blend Red Tea. We were honored to work on a project that recognizes such a brave and beloved person.

Caribou Coffee: The Adventures of Jack & Gourdo
caribou coffee , food , coffee , beverage , retail , youtube , social media , video , product launch , tv , television , film , broadcast , content
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Caribou Coffee: The Adventures of Jack & Gourdo

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What would happen if a pumpkin and a gourd possessed the gift of speech? You’d get the Autumn Adventures of Jack & Gourdo, that’s what. Jack and Gourdo are the irreverent ambassadors of Caribou Coffee’s Flavors of Fall lineup of handcrafted drinks and bakery items.

Caribou Coffee: Wild It Up!
caribou coffee , food , coffee , beverage , retail , user generated content , facebook , social media , promotion , app
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Caribou Coffee: Wild It Up!

Caribou Coffee Wild It Up

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Solution

At the time of the promotion, Caribou Coffee did not have an official page on Facebook. For a brand that’s about fun and customer engagement, this project served as the perfect foray into the space. After developing an official page, we created the Facebook application Wild It Up!, which allowed consumers to “wild up” a photo of themselves by selecting from a diverse library of images, such as gold teeth, wild animals, tattoos and, of course, Wild beverages. Users could then use a printout of their new Wild It Up! picture at any Caribou Coffee to redeem it for a free Wild Cooler. The pictures were displayed in stores, reinforcing Caribou’s customer-centric spirit. And an untold number of coupons were distributed that created millions of impressions. Product sampling took a new form of ROI as Caribou’s Facebook audience grew from 0 to 150,000 in just one month’s time.

Challenge

Shortly after winning the Caribou Coffee business, we were given the task of helping solve a perennial problem. The summer months have a way of slowing down coffeehouse sales. So we turned to Caribou’s lineup of Wild Coolers to offset the usual dip when the mercury rises. Since the beverages are popular with a younger audience, there was an opportunity to broaden Caribou’s customer base in a space that was still uncharted for the premium coffeehouse: social media.

C+M Partner Exponent PR Wins At Silver Anvil Awards
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C+M Partner Exponent PR Wins At Silver Anvil Awards

Colle+McVoy PR Partner Wins At Silver Anvil Awards 

MINNEAPOLIS, June 8, 2012 — Exponent PR, Colle+McVoy’s public relations division, won four awards during the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) 2012 Silver Anvil Awards ceremony in New York on June 7. The agency was one of only eight agencies nationwide to receive recognition in a least four categories. 

The Silver Anvil is an elite industry award honoring organizations that have successfully addressed a contemporary public relations issue with exemplary professional skill, creativity and resourcefulness. A prominent group of public relations professionals judge the awards. 

Exponent was recognized with a Silver Anvil Award in the Marketing Consumer Products category for work on behalf of Nestlé Purina with an entry titled, “Helping Pets Win a Losing Battle.” The agency developed Project Pet Slim Down, a groundbreaking initiative to help battle America’s pet obesity epidemic. 

Exponent received a Silver Anvil Award in the Marketing Consumer Products (Restaurants) category for work on behalf of Caribou Coffee — the nation’s second largest gourmet coffeehouse. The winning campaign honored Amy’s Garden, Caribou’s program to help raise awareness and donations for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. The program celebrates the memory of Amy Erickson, a beloved Caribou roastmaster who passed away from breast cancer. 

Exponent was also honored in Marketing Consumer Products (Healthcare) category with an Award of Excellence for the entry, “Novartis Uncovers the Dirty Truth about Fleas.” The Dirty Truth campaign for Novartis Animal Health helped educate consumers on how dog owners can deliver the best care to their pets. For this campaign, Novartis turned to the quirky personality of spokesperson Mike Rowe. 

The agency’s fourth award was an Award of Excellence in the Events/Observances (More Than Seven Days) category honoring the Amy’s Garden commemorative events hosted by Caribou Coffee.

“Our agency is expected to deliver innovative ideas that make a difference,” said Tom Lindell, managing director, Exponent PR. “This recognition demonstrates the creativity, passion and effectiveness of collaboration with our client partners,” 

PRSA selected 143 finalists out of a record 923 entries this year. 

To view PRSA’s official announcement, and a complete list of the 2012 Silver Anvil and Awards of Excellence winners, visit PRSA.org.

C+M Further Expands Growing Interactive Team
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C+M Further Expands Growing Interactive Team

MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 23, 2010 -Colle+McVoy announced today the addition of six new hires to its thriving interactive team to meet the growth in digital billings for clients such as Land O’Lakes, Caribou Coffee, Taubman Shopping Centers and the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF). They include:

- Bridget Charon has been hired as senior interactive producer. Previously she specialized in green/sustainable marketing with high-profile companies including Nature Works LLC and Cargill Dow.

- Ryan Olson has been hired as interactive account supervisor and has extensive national brand marketing experience with General Mills, Hormel Foods, H&R Block, Dish Network, Great Clips and Famous Dave’s Restaurants.

- Tiffany Hahnfeldt has been hired as interactive producer and recently worked with clients such as Target, Best Buy, Ameriprise, St. Jude Medical and Minnesota Public Radio.

- Josh Vadnais has been hired as interactive creative developer. Formerly a web application developer, Vadnais worked with Medtronic, Rochester Medical, UnitedHealth Group and Abbott Vascular.

- Alex Ehlen has been hired as junior interactive designer. As an intern at Colle+McVoy, he worked with Caribou Coffee, Taubman Shopping Centers, CHS and IBA.

- Grant Olson has been hired as an associate interactive strategist. During his summer internship at Colle+McVoy, he worked on Land O’Lakes, Zimride, Taubman Shopping Centers and RBFF.

"These new hires enhance our team and increase the depth of interactive offerings available to our clients," said Craig Pladson, director of interactive strategy, Colle+McVoy. "Colle+McVoy is and will continue to be an industry leader in delivering smart, results-driven interactive experiences."

Photos available upon request.