From just another gas station
To New England's most lovable coffee shop.
CHALLENGE:
Cumberland Farms is a regional chain of roughly 600 convenience stores and gas stations operating across 11 states. After years off the airwaves, Cumberland Farms needed to get customers back into stores and reignite its reputation for great coffee at a ridiculously low price, 99 cents. Competing against Dunkin’ and McDonald’s — brands outspending Cumby’s 50 to 1 — the task was to grow coffee sales by 30% in a single year and reclaim its place in the daily New England routine.
STRATEGY:
We knew taste alone wouldn’t change ritual — price would. So we reframed value as empowerment. “Any size, any day, 99¢” wasn’t just a deal — it was a declaration of independence from overpriced coffee culture. The strategy was simple: bring back Cumby’s irreverent, hometown voice and remind New Englanders that good coffee doesn’t have to come with attitude (or a $5 price tag)
CREATIVE SOLUTION:
Working with a shoestring budget and a small in-house crew, we created a campaign that felt real, scrappy, and self-aware — the antithesis of big-budget coffee advertising. Shot at Cumberland HQ, our video and in-store creative embraced humor and humility to reintroduce the brand with authenticity. We kept the message simple, consistent, and loud — pounding away on price and personality through radio, social, and in-store POP, later expanding to TV, outdoor, and “Free Coffee Fridays” as sales surged. Every spot was a reminder: great coffee doesn’t have to come from somewhere fancy. It can come from your neighborhood gas station.
RETURN ON CREATIVE:
- +60% Coffee sales in Year One (goal obliterated)
- +40% additional growth in Year Two
- +550% increase in annual coffee sales (15M → 82M cups/year)
- Substantial market share gains from Dunkin’ and McDonald’s
- Tens of thousands of new daily consumers across 11 states
