Fueling the Black Rock Story

Black Rock Coffee Bar is one of the fastest-growing coffee chains in America. They came to us to give their team a voice and help launch FUEL, their new line of premium energy drinks.

Too close but yet too far

As Black Rock Coffee Bar inches near 100 locations, they’ve started to feel the growing pains.

Leadership felt like they were lacking alignment within the company as a whole and within functions. Team members got pulled in different directions, creating cultural conflict that their customers could feel.

Not to mention, the team members who work closest to their customers were furthest from the leadership and their vision.

They were in a time of transition. Everyone was on a different page. They lacked a unified language. And as a result, it was difficult to move new projects forward.

Strategy as a solution

So we came in to lead a private Strategy Workshop with their leadership team. We listened. They argued. We all got frustrated.

But by the end, they aligned around a common message and felt like they could move forward with a new sense of clarity and inspiration.

We used the learnings from our workshop to develop a simple Brand Framework. The framework created quick stakeholder buy-in and gave the Black Rock Coffee Bar team a sense of structure they were all longing for.

But the Brand Framework did more than align their team and give them confidence. It gave them tangible talking-points that they could use when communicating to shareholders, investors, new hires, and even their customers.

Last but not least, the Brand Framework and its strategies—brand character, personality, voice, and tone—overflowed right into their next product launch: Black Rock FUEL.

Simon and his team brought a fresh vision to our business. He helped to put a voice to our brand and customer so that we were able to speak and market to them.

Miles Albritton, Creative Director

Launching FUEL

FUEL is Black Rock Coffee Bar’s premium energy drink brand. They developed it from the ground up and currently serve it in their coffee bars. Rumor has it that they’ll soon distribute in grocery store chains and more.

FUEL started as a smart way for Black Rock Coffee Bar to save money on white labeling other energy drink brands. But the product has become one of the strongest parts of their brand.

But that’s not all. FUEL told a completely new story for Black Rock Coffee Bar and its customers.

Black Rock Coffee Bar hired our team to develop a narrative around the product. The aim was simple: tell a brand story that fueled customer stories.

So we dove in. We analyzed competitive products and held stakeholder interviews to gain a better understanding of the role FUEL played in Black Rock customer stories.

We delivered three unique narratives all speaking into a different aspect of customer’s lives. The story that emerged was incredible. So we put it right on the can.

Here’s the written narrative…

Fueling your day might feel like catching lightning in a bottle. It’s a rare feat—either a moment of sheer luck or utter brilliance. That’s why we caught it in a can and packaged it for you. In FUEL, we’ve captured something powerful. Something that will put a spark in your step and illuminate the path ahead. So whether you’re working or playing, at home or on the road, drink up. #fuelyourstory

We’re proud of you, Black Rock Coffee Bar

Black Rock Coffee Bar is now equipped with a common narrative their team can use with each other and with their customers to create an even more inspiring experience.

There’s still a lot of work to do to gain a better understanding of their company and their customers. It’s not enough to know who you are and what you do. You’ve got to know why it matters.

I’m confident that as Black Rock continues to expand and reach new markets, segments, cultures, and values, that the deeper story will continue to emerge. We look forward to supporting them through this journey. Our work together continues.

If you like what you’ve seen here and want to learn more about how we work with our clients, read more about our approach to client relationships.