Second Cup Coffee Co. — Repositioning a Legacy Brand Through Digital & Loyalty Innovation
Role: Creative Director / Digital Experience, CRM & Loyalty Strategy — OLSON (Now ICF Next)
Scope: Brand repositioning, responsive web design, loyalty program development, mobile app experience, social & CRM integration
Role: Creative Director / Digital Experience, CRM & Loyalty Strategy — OLSON (Now ICF Next)
Scope: Brand repositioning, responsive web design, loyalty program development, mobile app experience, social & CRM integration
Context –
Second Cup Coffee Co. faced increasing pressure to remain relevant in a category dominated by digitally mature competitors like Starbucks and Tim Hortons. To compete for a younger, mobile-first audience, the brand needed to modernize its digital presence, elevate its perception, and create a more convenient, loyalty-driven customer experience.
Challenge –
Reposition a legacy coffee brand to appeal to a younger, more design-conscious audience.
Compete against category leaders with significantly larger digital ecosystems and marketing budgets.
Transition from traditional CRM to a modern, digitally enabled loyalty strategy.
Create a seamless, mobile-first experience aligned with on-the-go consumer behaviour.
Drive measurable engagement, traffic, and retention through owned digital channels.
Approach –
Led the full redesign and relaunch of SecondCup.com as a fully responsive, mobile-first digital flagship, featuring:
• Modernized visual identity and elevated brand expression
• Streamlined UX optimized for speed, discovery, and on-the-go usage
Designed and launched PERKS, a new digital loyalty program rewarding frequency and brand affinity.
Developed an integrated mobile experience, including one of Canada’s early Apple Watch-compatible apps, reinforcing innovation in convenience and accessibility.
Created a connected ecosystem linking digital media, social, and CRM to drive users into a cohesive and contextual web experience.
Introduced “The Buzz”, a social content hub designed to amplify community, influencer engagement, and brand storytelling.
Shifted marketing toward targeted, experiential, and social-first activations, including influencer-driven campaigns and product launches (e.g., Flat White sampling tours).
Creative Highlights –
Mobile-First Brand Experience: Designed for real-world, on-the-go behavior with seamless performance across devices.
Digital Loyalty Foundation: PERKS program established a scalable CRM platform for personalized engagement.
Social-Driven Ecosystem: Content and campaigns built to drive discovery, sharing, and repeat visitation.
Elevated Brand Expression: Refreshed design system repositioned the brand as more premium and contemporary.
Outcome –
+57% increase in unique visitors year-over-year.
+25% overall traffic growth, with 35%+ from mobile devices.
+11% increase in page views and 16% decrease in bounce rate.
+30% increase in mobile visit duration, indicating deeper engagement.
3× increase in social referral traffic driven by “The Buzz” content hub.
Successfully launched a new Rewards program and mobile app, helping modernize customer engagement.
Contributed to first profitable quarter since 2012 ($94K net income) and positive same-store sales growth after 14 quarters of decline.
Reduced annual losses dramatically ($27M → $1.15M year-over-year), signaling early turnaround momentum.
Earned industry recognition including:
• Silver W3 Award
• AWWWARDS Honourable Mention
• FWA Site of the Day (shortlisted)
