Beans & Butter is a coffee shop located in Lawrenceville, GA seeking to become a home-like destination for local coffee lovers. The marketing plan provides an analysis of the business, including its target demographics of college-educated professionals in the area, competitive local coffee shops, and its strategy to offer high-quality locally sourced coffee, baked goods, and a creative atmosphere to build community. The plan recommends emphasizing the shop's local identity, organic products, and social engagement to attract customers and establish B&B as a unique local business.

1.
BEANS & BUTTER
COFFEE HOUSE
MARKETING PLAN
-An Experience Behind Every Cup-
Northwestern University
Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communication
JOUR-406 2016 Winter
Professor: Susan Mango Curtis
Marketing Group:
Shanshan Wang, Sophie Zhang, Morgan Gilbard, Will Zhao

2.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Business Summary 01
Positioning Statements 02
Customer Analysis 06
Price and Product Analysis 07
Local Competitive Analysis 03
Implementation and Recommendations 09

3.
B&B
01
1. Business Summary
Beans&Butter will translate its proximity to the
Brookwood community to build a core group of
customers to offer an experience behind every cup.
Beans & Butter (“Double B” or “B&B”)
coffeehouse aims to become a home-like
destination for local coffee lovers. In B&B,
consumers can not only have high-quality
roasted coffee made from local organic
coffee beans, but also enjoy a comfortable
environment where they can socialize and
create the bond within the community.
Located in a busy commercial area in
Lawrenceville with large amount of frequent
visitors, B&B determines to become a daily
necessity for them. To show support to the
community, B&B also emphasizes on
providing space for local arts and music.
Customers are expected to stay and start
learning the culture of the neighborhood.

4.
B&B is a unique place where customers come and linger as a daily habit to
socialize with each other. In a comfortable and relaxing environment,
customers enjoy the best quality, responsibly sourced small-batch roasted
coffee by local roasters and indulge fresh house-made pastries.
a. For whom: residents of the nearby communities -- Snellville, Lilburn, Lawrenceville
b. What is B&B: It is a home-like destination for local residents and a daily necessity for
coffee lovers. It provides customers with artisanal comfort and serves as an artistic
corner to connect customers with local arts.
c. What does B&B provides: Customers are here to to experience local coffee, food
and culture
1) High-quality food: coffee by local roasters along with freshly made-in-house
baked goods, (Keywords: local, organic, creative)
2) Artistic and comfortable environment: 1,230 square foot house; a seating
room for 24 people; local art pieces in display
3) Convenience: It’s located in a busy commercial center within walking distance
of Brookwood Cluster schools, local subdivisions, churches, daycares and local
businesses.
4) Expertise: continuous investment in our employees and services based on
professional training and skills
02
2. Positioning
Statements

5. 3. Local Competitive Analysis
Local Competitive Analysis
*Total scores do not include price breakdowns because how “good” or “bad” a price point is
depends on the customer. Social media operations for chain businesses not included for fair
analysis.
What to Take Away
•Starbucks offers the highest quality services in these 7 categories.
•McDonald's and QuikTrip offer the lowest quality services in these 7 categories, but still
remain viable competitors because of their price and proximity. Starbucks offers
Lawrenceville the most in these 7 categories
•Donut Worry is the strongest local competitor.
•There is an opportunity for a unique, mid-priced coffee destination that offers atmosphere in
Lawrenceville.
Key Success Factors
Convenience – Starbucks dominates the local market because of the convenience factor. The
closest competitors to B&B, QuikTrip and McDonalds, also appeal to customers because of
their extended operating hours. Subsequently, B&B will need to have an early opening time to
accommodate customers on their way to work—ideally 7:30 a.m. Businesses in the area
with later opening times like Café Aroma (opens at 9 a.m.) are both less appealing to
customers and less successful.
Starbucks McDonalds QuikTrip Donut
Worry
Cafe
Aroma
Einstein
Bros
Panera
Coffee
quality/
variety
8 4 2 5 4 6 6
Atmosph
ere
10 4 2 2 5 6 6
Conveni
ence
6 10 10 3 2 6 6
Pastries/
food
6 2 1 8 6 6 6
Prices $$$ $ $ $ $ $$ $$
Service 10 5 3 10 3 10 10
Social
Media
/ / / 10 5 / /
Total
Score
40 25 18 38 25 34 34
03
*How to read this chart: Categories are scored on a scale of 1 through 10, with 10 being the best marks and 1 being the worst.

6. Starbucks has two locations within a 10-minute drive, meaning that volume alone helps them
attract customers. However, B&B is located slightly closer to Ronald Reagan Parkway’s
entrance and exit, making it slightly more appealing to customers taking that route. Donut
Worry and Cafe Aroma are more likely to compete for customers between their businesses
than detract from B&B's potential customer pool-- primarily because of how far away B&B is
from those establishments.
Reliable Quality – Starbucks has also managed to dominate the market because of quality
control. Among B&B’s competitors, Starbucks is the only one to maintain a high-quality
product and reliability—leaving room for B&B to also fill that market. McDonalds and QuikTrip
are both reliable options, but offer a low-quality product. Café Aroma fails to offer reliability or
quality, leading to the local bakery to develop a bad online reputation that prevents it from
becoming a destination. Café Aroma demonstrates that consistently offering a high-quality
product is essential for a local business trying to compete with chain operations.
Main Competitor Weaknesses
As a chain operation, Starbucks is neither helpful to Lawrenceville or Georgia in the long-term.
Customers put 40 percent more money into the local economy when they shop at a local
business, according to Forbes. Beans & Butter can capitalize on their identity as a local
business: “Beans & Butter helps Lawrenceville, not corporate giants.”
Starbucks’ chain status also means that their products are not environmentally sustainable,
which is another benefit to customers supporting B&B. B&B’s organic products also distinguish
it from all other competitors in the market.
04

7.
Focused Strategy
B&B ultimately has the potential to synthesize a unique
customer experience by providing high-quality products
in a homey, local atmosphere.
Promotional materials should emphasize:
•Local identity with roots in the community; use the
connections made from previous businesses, friends,
and the local network
•Local Organic Products
•Social Engagement – encourage customers to post
about B&B on social media, tag B&B in posts, and
contact the owners to give feedback
Management Should Emphasize
•Creativity – Support the “artsy coffeehouse” image by
hosting open-mic/music events to local musicians and
allow local artists to display their work in the coffee
shop (with prices visible and art available for
purchase).
•Community – Have a community bulletin board in the
coffee shop for posters/announcements about local
events. Spreading good cheer about what customers
are up to will encourage them to do the same for
B&B.
•Local Identity – Have information about the origins of
ingredients available to customers. Integrate reminders
of local-status into the decoration of the shop (i.e. a
chalkboard listing ingredients and their origins).
05

8. 4. Customer Analysis (demographics,
occupations, socio-economic status)
The coffeeshop is located in the City of Lawrenceville, GA, a Northeastern suburb of Atlanta
where most residents are college educated working professionals. Close to the coffee shop,
there are many daycare centers, schools and a farmers market which will bring regular
customers who are easy to reach. In addition, the nearby commuter traffic will also bring
working professionals and college students. Thus, the range of our target customers goes
beyond the community and can expand to anyone within the driving distance.
The population age spread was as follows:
According to the 2010 Census data for Lawrenceville, GA:
Population: 28,546.
Sex:
•Female: 52.2%
Age：
•The median age was 32.4
•26.4% under the age of 18
•11.0% from 18 to 24
•35.3% from 25 to 44
•18.2% from 45 to 64
•9.1% who were 65 years of age or older
For population 25 years and over in Lawrenceville:
•High school or higher: 78.2%;
•Bachelor's degree or higher: 22.3%;
•Unemployed: 4.4%;
•Mean travel time to work (commute): 25.5 minutes
Race:
•White(alone): 48%
•Black/AA: 32%
•American Ind.:0.6%
•Asian: 5.7%
(Source: http://www.zip-codes.com/city/GA-LAWRENCEVILLE-2010-census.asp)
Income:
•The median income for a family was $48,557.
•The per capita income for the city was $19,649.
•About 11.7% of families and 24.5% of the population were below the poverty line.
06

9.
http://www.city-data.com/income/income-Lawrenceville-Georgia.html
For population 25 years and over in Lawrenceville:
•High school or higher: 78.2%; Bachelor's degree or higher: 22.3%;
•Unemployed: 4.4%; Mean travel time to work (commute): 25.5 minutes
These residents, also the major commuters, has steady, disposable income and pursues a
quality life. Thus they can be our main customer source.
07

10.
5. Price and Product Analysis
Beans & Butter will offer quality sourced coffee and scratch, in-house baked
goods, which will be achieved by superior ingredients and strictly
preparation guidelines.
FOODS
The food menu will consist of scratch in house baked
goods such as scones, Kouign-Amans, croissants,
croissants, Babkas, and brioche. Breads for
sandwiches will be made in house as well as prepared
meats for sandwiches. Soups, salads and entrees will
be made from locally sourced produce. All kitchen
employees will be trained through SCAA in addition to
having formal training in culinary arts.
The primary competition comes from other coffee bars
located near the Brookwood community. These include
Alcove Coffee, Panera Bread, Starbuck’s and Quick
Trip Gas Station.
DRINKS
There will be espresso-based drinks such as espressos,
macchiatos, cappuccinos, lattes, mochas. Each of the
espresso-based drinks will be offered with whole,
skimmed, soy or almond milk. All of the espresso drinks
will be served as a ‘double shot’, which is prepared on
the Della Corte EVO dual head semi-automatic
espresso machine. All employees will be trained and
certified through the Specialty Coffee Association of
America (SCAA). Other beverages include pour over,
cold brew, nitro cold brew as well as hot and cold teas,
milk, fresh juices and water.
08

11.
09
Though Starbucks provide high-quality coffee, it also
has the highest price. While Donut Worry remains a
strong competitor and offers a competitive price, the
coffee quality is less satisfying. For Beans & Butter, the
price can stand somewhere in between.
PRICE
Beans & Butter will also source local, organic and
seasonal produce whenever possible for our kitchen to
prepare daily small salads and sandwiches. This can
serve as an important feature that makes Beans &
Butter stand out among local coffee shops.
GOING ORGANIC

12. 6. Implementation and
Recommendations
Read through the former business plan carefully, and based on it, the marketing team came up
with implementations and recommendations as followed:
Brand Image & Culture
The brand image to be presented to all customers: A localized coffee house that makes the
local customers feel like they are at home.
Need to be emphasized: “Come from the community and serve the community”: tell the
backstory and keep this spirit into everyday business operations.
“B&B will make contributions to the welfare of the local community by supporting charitable and
civic activities and support the farmers who grow the coffee by using Fair Trade, Sustainable
Production and Organic products whenever possible. In addition, B&B will invest in employees as
well as provide a great product by training and grow their skills, education, and professionalism.”
10

13. Marketing Objectives
a. Become selected as the “Best New Coffee Bar in the Gwinnett County area” by the
local restaurant guide.
(http://www.yelp.com/search?cflt=cafes&find_loc=Gwinnett+County%2C+GA)
b. Gain more than 10,000 members/subscribers in the next 12 months.
Use a Nickname
First of all, the brand name, “Beans & Butter Coffee House”, is a little bit too long for a daily use.
just think about a situation, when a friend asks, “This coffee smells really nice, where did you get
that?”, A person probably may not say the whole name. For a more efficient business daily
implementing, a nickname, “B&B”, is easier to memorize, just as mentioned in the former
business plan.
Leverage the Existing Relationships
We noticed that the founder, Stacey Simmons and Michael Simmons, have been living in the
Brookwood community since 2001. They know the people, love the people, and in that way,
they can better serve the people in the future. Therefore, leveraging the local relationship is very
important for B&B’s early stage. The business founders already serve the community through a
catering company which they have successfully run for the past 9 years. Due to the Simmon’s
successful food immersion and service to the local community, they need to take full advantage
of those customers who already enjoy their food, service, and friendship. Maybe before the big
opening, B&B should invent those valuable customers to the new location to try the brand new
menu and feel the sophisticated environment first. Let them be free to bring up their ideas and
suggestions for anything they want, and at the same time, serve those customers as the “very
first coffee club members”. Let them be the bedrock of B&B business.
Media Strategy
a. Social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
Since B&B is a local coffee house deeply rooted in the communities, grass-root marketing and
words of mouth is extremely critical. “Let our customers do the talk.” For all the contents, which
need to be put on social media, we suggest B&B use user-generated content, which can save
the owners a lot of time and make the contents have more creditability. B&B should encourage
all of the customers to share their experience and feelings on social media and tag the business
and @ their friends with a discount or invitation to some special events. And we suggest a social
media intern in charge with the daily operation of the social media, in order to put the fresh
content online and answer clients’ questions on time.
b. Yelp! Yelp! Yelp!
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14. In order to be selected as the “Best New Coffee Bar in the Gwinnett County area”. B&B
needs to take a good care of its Yelp page. In these days, people even may not go to the
official website to see the food, they would prefer go to the Yelp site to see what other
customer think about the store. Since we focus on “user generated content”, we can use
the Yelp sign up and get a discount offer to drive more user contributes.
c. Traditional media: Local newspaper, local radio station, and billboard
Additional research is needed to find out customers’ traditional media preferences. For a
local business, usually, the local newspaper, TV station, and radio station are pretty
powerful and relevant to the community. In addition, B&B needs to find out what/who is the
most trusted information resources for the communities, which is the “opinion leader” and
“social hub” of the communities. Find those people first and then let them do the talk and
promotion for B&B.
Promotion Tactics
a. Direct mailing
Costly and less efficient compared with email promotion, we might want to get the
customers’ email addresses instead.
b. Email Promotion
The email address can help B&B to do further promotion, special events notification and
even see out some questionnaire in the further to do some customer analysis and keep
revising the business.
Website-join our community today!
Sign up sheet in store
c. The Postcard Idea
“ ‘One free cup of coffee’ postcards with Beans & Butter endorsement will be printed to
increase the company’s visibility among the patrons.” It is a brilliant idea to spread the words
through the community. Before B&B’s big opening, send out and let local store have B&B’s
postcards. Let customers mail the postcard to their families and friends to get two free
cups. “One B&B postcard, Two free cups and Countless happiness!”
d. Teamed up with other businesses that also service the business, like local daycare, local
fitness or grocery store.
“With a walking distance of the Brookwood Cluster schools (Five Forks, Gwinn Oaks and
Brookwood High School) on the corner of Oak Drive and River Drive. Additionally, directly
across the street are two preschool and daycare facilities (Primrose and ABC Daycare),
12

15. both with a high volume of occupancy.” B&B can certainly team up with those local stores
and institutes to do the promotion for each other or even share the membership benefits
through different stores. For those businesses, which have the similar customer
demographic, B&B can carry their flyers, promotion information and other stuff in store in
return for those businesses to carry B&B’s. Since the target customer segments have the
same demographic features, B&B and those businesses can share their customer
information to expand customer the base.
Other Implementations
a. “Maximize sales profits by selling coffee in the form of high-end espresso based drinks
and hand poured drinks.” and “Maximizing the sales of high margin products, such as
espresso drinks.” In order to sell more high-margin products, B&B can try to mark them
“signature drinks” with a special package or special mugs. Maybe B&B can give the
customers more space to customize the drink. In that way, with a low extra cost, B&B
can definitely drive more sales to those high-margin products.
b. “Store design that will be both visually attractive to customers, and designed for fast
and efficient operations.” Not only the decoration, but also the daily operation is needed to
be set into two different parts. For the morning time, the business needs to focus on
efficiency. Serving every cup of coffee with consistency requires “Employee training to
ensure the best coffee preparation techniques.” For the rest of the day, the business is
focused on how to give customers the best coffee and culture experiences.
c. Loyalty Program: “Marketing strategies aimed to build a solid base of loyal customers.”
The loyalty program is a great way to implement “customer intimacy” strategy. Since B&B
is a local business, the loyalty program not only should focus on incentives but also
emphasize how customers can actually interact with the brand, contribute to the
community and grow with the business. Every email that B&B sends out should deliver
very localized information like special events invitations, coupons, or B&B’s customer
stories sharing. Be sure to make information valuable and relevant to motivate members
properly.

16. published by:
JOUR406-Marketing Team
©2016
BEANS & BUTTER
COFFEE HOUSE
MARKETING PLAN