M&S wanted to bring Magic Coffee – Melbourne’s celebrated coffee style – to the UK. But with awareness largely limited to coffee enthusiasts, we needed to introduce something most customers had never heard of and give them a reason to try it. And we had to do it all on one very small canvas: the humble coffee cup sleeve.
Getting to know the Magic
We immersed ourselves in Melbourne’s renowned coffee culture to understand exactly what made Magic Coffee special, translating its distinctive qualities into a story that would intrigue British coffee drinkers discovering it for the first time.
Making every word count
We developed a typographic approach that captured Magic Coffee’s sophisticated but accessible character, designed to create maximum impact in minimal space and build a distinctive visual presence.
Building up to the big reveal
Rather than giving everything away at once, we created a phased launch that gradually revealed the story, building curiosity and anticipation before introducing Magic Coffee as something new within the M&S café offering.
Two typefaces, one magic identity
We created a standout logo by pairing a bold, condensed typeface with a flowing script – balancing impact with the craft and character of coffee culture. Deep, dramatic colours and subtle iconography added to the intrigue, creating an identity that could make an impression even on something as small as a cup sleeve.
Selling the sip before the first taste
‘Silky. Smooth. Perfectly balanced.’ distilled the Magic Coffee experience into three tempting words. We dialled up the desire with atmospheric photography, shooting the coffee against rich velvet backdrops and enveloping it in shadow to create a sense of mystery around this unfamiliar new drink.
Turning curiosity into a launch
We carried the mystery beyond the cup with a suite of in-store POS and social activation ideas, using the same distinctive visual language to build recognition and tell the Magic Coffee story across every touchpoint.
More than one million cups sold in its first year, with Magic Coffee significantly outperforming sales targets. It’s continued to perform strongly since, becoming a distinctive part of M&S’s coffee offer and a hero product loved by colleagues and customers alike.
M&S Magic Coffee
A coffee brand with a shot of inspiration
Ashley Hodge
Associate Creative Director, Whippet
"This project was a departure for us, but we had strong ideas from the get-go. There was a real buzz in the studio when we were working on this – everyone wanted to be involved."