Costa invites agencies for coffee

The pitch process is underway in Delhi.

British coffee chain Costa Coffee is on the lookout for a creative agency. The pitch process is underway in Delhi. afaqs! learns that one round of presentations is over.

In August, 2011 Brand David was handed the mandate to work on a one off, non-creative strategic project for the brand.

The development makes strategic sense, given the current bustle in the retail coffee space. While one can hardly attribute these ripples to a single rival brand, some industry observers are, nonetheless, calling it the 'Starbucks Effect'; Starbucks appointed JWT to handle its creative duties in India, a market it recently entered through a joint venture with Tata Global Beverages.

Café Coffee Day, too, has amplified its communication with its recent TV debut ('Sit Down' campaign) that hit screens a few weeks ago; the campaign was put together by Creativeland Asia. A few months earlier, Barista Lavazza revamped its look and feel (menu-cards, uniforms and store interiors) with the help of designer Rina Dhaka.

It remains to be seen how Costa Coffee augments its communication in the Indian market in the days ahead. Internationally, the brand has created waves with its advertising. Costa's first television commercial was released in 2010. Conceptualised by Karmarama, it was titled 'Monkeys and Typewriters' and was a loud and much talked about effort.

For the record, Costa Coffee was founded in 1971; the first outlet was opened at 9, Newport Street, London, by Sergio and Bruno Costa.

Since its launch in India in 2005, the brand has been present primarily in the metros, with outlets in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Pune, Agra and Jaipur. Last year, Costa opened its 100th store in India, in Mumbai, and now plans to further expand its presence in the country.

Globally, Costa Coffee is present in China, Egypt, the UAE, Ireland, Jordon, Bahrain, Croatia, Syria, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bulgaria, Lebanon, Dubai, Malta, Montenegro, Kuwait, Hungary and Serbia. The brand has well over 3,900 outlets spread across these countries.