Costa super brand extension: Superday Smoothies

On a trip to the shopping centre today I spotted this interesting bit of brand extension from Costa: the Super Day smoothie. I think this is a nice bit of brand extension from the coffee shop chain. 

1. Boost the summer refreshment offer

The new smoothies add to Costa's refreshing drink offer, key for the summer period. The Super Day smoothie, made with real fruit, freshly blended with apple juice and ice, means the brand now has two complementary offers. This one is a healthier option with one of those elusive five-a-day portions of fruit we are all supposed to consume. There is also a range of more indulgent coolers, like the Double Chocolate Cookie Mocha Creamy one below (think I know which the Taylor teenage daughters might go for, and which Mrs Taylor might have).

2. Leverage a brand truth

The Super Day smoothies have a point of difference versus other coffee shops' refreshment offer in the way they are blended from real fruit. This has a couple of advantages. First, it communicates the real fruit content, as you can see the physical fruit in the pot on shelf. Second, it builds on and reinforces Costa's brand truth about trained baristas creating your drink, by "Extending the handcrafting skills of our baristas to offer fresh fruit smoothies,” as  Costa's Group Brand & Innovation Director Carol Welch commented here. 

3. Test and learn

The Super Day smoothies were launched nationally by Costa back in May 2016, as announced here. This follows a 2015 test of the product in 35 stores in South Yorkshire and South East London, as reported here. This sort of real, in-market testing makes a lot of sense to me. Consumer research is helpful, when done well. But nothing beats getting into market, getting real-life learning and refining the mix. For example, it looks like the latest cups now have the descriptor Super Day Smoothie on them, whereas the photo from last year's press release was a plain cup. Perhaps adding this name to the pack was done post-testing to make it easier to spot the product on shelf.

In conclusion, Costa's Super Day Smoothies are a good example of a brand extending its offer in a distinctive way to meet a consumer need and boost the brand's image.