Keurig brews up local marketing campaign targeting college campuses

Published September 27, 2013 at 9:44 am

National Coffee Day is this Sunday, September 29, and most of the biggest names—Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, Krispy Kreme, Wawa and even Ikea—have made plans for free giveaways to customers.

But even the prospect of free java won’t force some coffee lovers from their beds on Sunday morning. Many will wake up for brunch and brew a single cup (or two) in their own kitchens using their Keurig machines.

Even though Green Mountain Coffee, the maker of Keurig, can already claim a significant market share, given that 2.5 million cups of coffee are brewed with Keurig machines every day, the company is looking to further expand its influence by tapping into a population that runs on coffee—the 18-to-24 demographic, and specifically college students.

Forbes reports that Green Mountain Coffee plans to increase its presence on college campuses, through fans of college sports. The company will deploy “carefully tailored and strategic activation plans” across 25 campuses, including schools with fever-pitch levels of fan support for athletic programs—Texas, Nebraska, Florida and more.

The marketing blitz will also include signage customized to the different campuses, free samples at athletic events and a digital advertising component. Green Mountain Coffee has further embraced local marketing by designing campus-specific brewing machines for 11 of its 25 partners.

“There is a tremendous opportunity to build brewing habits in this growing population … By reaching students in the dorm, Keurig is able to help shape and build the next generation of our consumer base by establishing the Keurig system as an essential part of the college experience,” Dwight Brown, Keurig’s vice president of core systems, said.