Client: Grand Kafa, Droga Kolinska

Area: Corporate communications and Product PR



Grand kafa company was established in 1997, and as of 2005 it is a part of the business system of renowned regional company Droga Kolinska, with main office in Slovenia. Grand Kafa is the leader in the coffee market in Serbia, with a strong presence in the whole region.

Since 2007, the founder of Grand Kafa, Mr. Slobodan Vucicevic, is President of Management Board of Droga Kolinska. In addition to Grand Kafa, Droga Kolinska system also includes a respectable Serbian company Soko Stark, which completes a very strong brand portfolio of Driga Kolinska that includes very well known and established brands throughout the area of former Yugoslavia.



Our activities centered on creation and implementation of communications plans designed to improve company image, as well as the plans in the function of direct promotion of products.

From July 2006 to December 2007, we handled a total of 34 corporate themes, such as promotions of results and business plans, implementation of donations, price policy, awards, meetings of experts, etc. In the area of product portfolio promotion, our regular activities were supplemented by two important communications campaign: launch of new concept brand Grand Pleasure and repositioning of Grand Aroma brand (black coffee) in the format of campaign entitled “We are looking for aroma friends”.

Launch of the new concept brand Grand Pleasure was a great challenge both to the company and to us as its external support in the field of communications. Expectations were high at the beginning of 2007 when the launch was planned, as the success of a concept brand largely depends on the quality of communication. In addition, Grand Pleasure is the first concept brand in the local market.

Our task was to prepare a draft communications plan that would both inform and educate consumers, but also, provide the most direct possible support to specific products or services. In practice, this meant that our communications strategy had to integrate and interlink effectively: specific products (instant coffee in several variations and several types of tea), services (opening of two Grand Pleasure cafés in Belgrade) and support to a concept (Grand Pleasure Music – special CD editions and Grand Pleasure Web site).

At the end of 2007, the results were obvious. Fourteen different promotional activities were organized for the project Grand Pleasure, and all of them received excellent publicity and very warm acceptance by the public and the media. The agency did a lot, both in conceptual terms and in operational segment to make a strong launch of the project in good coordination with the other activities. The received publicity communicated well with target groups, all events were organized excellently, attendance by journalists was high, and the support was continuous.

1. Creation of communications strategy
2. Creation and application of operating communications plans
3. Consulting in the field of communications
4. Relations with the media
   • Networking with the relevant journalists
   • Press office services (full service: writing and distribution of press releases, organization of interviews and prepping of participants, preparation of special press material, responses to all inquiries from the media, etc.)
   • Organization of press briefings, press conferences and press trips
     
   • Creation of special press kits
5. Support to marketing activities
6. Organization of special events and promotions
7. Photo and video archive
8. Press and video clipping

Press Office

The agency has established a good journalist network and kept regular contacts with all relevant media. The journalist network is made up of journalists and editors of daily newspapers, electronic media (radio and TV), business magazines, weeklies, life style magazines, specialized magazines, and the regional media. The intensity of communication is best illustrated by publicity data: 443 articles, 41 agency news, 47 announcements on web portals, and 29 TV reports, just during 2007.

The agency has provided journalists with a 24-hour press service and responded to all questions from the media with great promptness. Also, it organized numerous interviews and prepared many statements, which were published in the relevant media.



In accordance with the plan of communications, the agency organized numerous meetings with journalists, and a press tour of the headquarters of Droga Kolinska company in Slovenia, in October 2006. The goal of that visit was to promote the program of pastes Argeta, which is one of the most famous brands of Droga Kolinska. Journalists had a chance to learn firsthand about the process of production, performance and business plans of the company.

For illustration of this type of activity, we can say that we organized ten briefings and press conferences in 2007, only. The type of event we organized depended on the type of information and message we wanted to send.



The agency supported marketing activities of the company, which were directly in the function of increasing sales of specific groups of products, or their launch and sales support (brand Argeta, black coffee brands: Grand DeLux and Grand Aroma, Grand Pleasure brands Grand Pleasure: Instant coffee, Instant 2 in 1, Instant 3 in 1, Capuccino, Capuccino Vanilla, Capuccino chocolate, Truboccino, teas).

We would like to underline the fact that the company adopted our proposal of advertorial, as a specific format designed for education of a target group, for Argeta brand and the assortment of Grand Pleasure café. In addition, the advertorials we created for Argeta (text and design) were accepted as a template for other countries of the region.



In September 2006, the agency worked with the company to organize a corporate event for about 500 guests, business partners and friends of the company, and media representatives, which was held in Belgrade’s Expo Centre. At client’s request, this corporate event was also the finale of “We are looking for aroma friends” campaign. The agency drew up a concept of the event and prepared a scenario. The event was organized in cooperation with an event planning agency, whereas we were in charge of coordinating participants and all activities related to media promotion.

In May 2007, the agency organized a formal opening of the first GP café in Vasina Street in Belgrade. The opening event was attended by more than 200 friends of the company, journalists, and famous persons. The event was very interesting for the 40 representatives of different media, and it received excellent publicity.