Coffee brands perk up marketing

By Theresa Howard, USA TODAY

NEW YORK — A pair of venerable coffee brands are being dusted off to take on Starbucks for more of the premium coffee dollar at the supermarket.

On Monday, No. 5 brand Eight O'Clock Coffee, an 145-year-old brand and one of the original whole-roasted bean brands, begins its first TV advertising. And Sara Lee is looking to rejuvenate its No. 7 Chock full o'Nuts Coffee, a 70-year-old brand that originated in New York City, with national advertising. Both are trying to take advantage of the coffee culture sparked by Starbucks in the past decade.

Brand watcher Allen Adamson of image agency Landor says the revived marketing "makes perfect sense." The iconic brands "can reach deep into their authenticity. They have the opportunity to become retro hip or chic. They've just been sleepy or comatose."

Eight O'Clock Coffee says the Starbucks phenomenon has helped perk up the commodity ground bean business, a $2.6 billion market, according to tracking firm Information Resources.

"Starbucks has helped make coffee cool and contemporary again," says David Allen, director of marketing for Eight O'Clock. Cool and contemporary has translated into a premium price at supermarkets, where 13-ounce bags of Starbucks varieties sell for about $8.

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