Remaking a Mall Classic.
It’s likely everyone has had the pleasure of a cookie and a Coke during a shopping trip to the mall. Great American Cookies was established in 1977, growing to 300 retail locations it was the perfect time to partner with malls across the US and market treats and refreshment for weary shoppers. But times change, and mall traffic began to dip. The brand had not been refreshed since the beginning and was in need of innovation, a new focus, and a facelift. That’s where we came in.
We found that profit increases despite new branding and tactics would be nominal based on the average ticket price. As an impulse purchase of a cookie and a drink at around $3.50 it is extremely difficult to move the needle. We shifted the business to a new focus on their bigger ticket, and most profitable item, the cookie cake.
We discovered that though mall traffic was dropping, consumers would make Great American Cookies a destination to pick up their cookie cake order. We positioned the product for tweens, too old for a cake, but too young not to have something. And for events like graduation and father’s day. This seemingly minor shift in focus and marketing strategy generated a 10% lift in incremental sales across the organization. For a $400M company that’s a nice get.
The increase in profits allowed Great American to begin exploring off-mall locations and transforming into the business it is today.
The Cookie Cake as Hero.
Brand Refresh 360.
And our team did not stop with logo and signage. We redesigned the packaging system, from new box style, to graphics, cups and cookie cake boxes. We even commissioned beautifully illustrated gift cookie tins for the holiday season. No longer dependent on malls, with a new focus on higher margin products, and an entertaining new brand look and feel, the new and improved Great American Cookies was all set to take on new retail challenges and compete as a stand-alone brand.