One sign of hot competition between coffeehouse chains in the United States is the proliferation of rewards programs. Peet's Coffee fought back by launching a one-day "disloyalty program" that enticed customers to redeem rewards from other chains at its own shops.
The offer was good on September 29, the annual date promoted by the industry as National Coffee Day. The cheeky Peet's campaign sought to coopt rewards by nine competing brands: Starbucks, Dutch Bros, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Dunkin', Tim Hortons, Better Buzz, Joe and the Juice, Bluestone Lane, and The Human Bean.
Customers had to visit a PeetsDisloyalty.com website and log on to their Peetnik Rewards account or create one, then upload a screen grab showing their reward points on another app. The campaign likely generated new registrations.
"We know that coffee people can be a bit promiscuous in their hunt for a great cup," said Jessica Buttimer, vice president of brand marketing at Peet's. "So, we wanted to reward them for their loyalty to the drink because, no matter where else you get your coffee, coffee people deserve great coffee."
On launching the program, Peet's announced results from their own survey showing that 74% of coffee lovers consider their cup of coffee the best part of their day; that 87% know a good cup of coffee from a bad cup; and 36% consider themselves coffee connoisseurs.
Founded in Berkeley, California in 1996 by Alfred Peet, the company has 455 cafes in the U.S. and China.
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