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THE OTHERSIDE COFFEESHOP
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
In the summer of 2019, I studied international advertising in Europe. When I was in Amsterdam, my group and I were asked to identify an Amsterdam coffeeshop, develop a marketing plan, and create advertising communications to launch this first-ever “coffeeshop" opening in Chicago. As Amsterdam was a pioneer in the legalization of marijuana and Illinois legalized marijuana in January 2020, our task was to make an Amsterdam coffeeshop appeal to Chicagoans.
When selecting the client for this assignment, my team and I chose The Otherside Coffeeshop. This coffeeshop is located in the LGBTQ+ area in Amsterdam and is known for being inclusive and welcoming to all. We knew this would be the perfect fit for Chicago.
After selecting the client, my team and I dove into conducting research on marijuana users and non-users. We sent surveys back to Chicago and this is what we discovered.
When my group and I analyzed the primary research data, we noticed that majority of survey respondents smoked marijuana occasionally as a means of socialization and support its legalization. This connected well with the coffeeshop my team and I selected. We continued to conduct secondary research to truly figure out the perfect target audience for this campaign.
Here are some of the personalities this campaign targeted.
After compiling our research and insights on the target audience, we developed the following big idea and strategy.
We believed that the inclusiveness and acceptance that The Otherside represents would resonate with young adults in Chicago. We knew that providing them with the ability to find the right product and a comfortable space to socialize, would create brand loyalty.
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Here is how we decided to execute our ads. We utilized social media, TV, print, and OOH advertising to appeal to all types of Chicago residents. For our execution, we decided to keep the color orange (which is the official color of Amsterdam). We also wanted the coffeeshop to stay true to its roots while also naming strains after the Chicago transit system to connect to its new home.
The following are the ways our team chose to evaluate the success of the campaign.
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