Dutch Bros
Dutch Bros
Role: Strategy, Research, Concept Development, Copywriting, Speculative Client Proposal
The Competitive Reality
The Competitive Reality
The QSR coffee category is dominated by a single player. Starbucks controls nearly a third of the market and has become the benchmark for perceived quality in the space. With massive scale and cultural ubiquity, it defines what “good coffee” looks like for mainstream consumers. But that dominance comes at a cost.
Starbucks dominates perceived quality, but its pricing creates distance between what people want and what they can justify daily. That gap creates opportunity for brands that can deliver credibility without premium pricing.
Who Are Coffee Purists?
Coffee Purists value craft, ritual, consistency. Their coffee is personal “me time,” not a novelty. While they live structured, fast-paced lives, they secretly crave surprise — as long as it doesn’t compromise quality
Good coffee doesn’t have to be serious to be taken seriously.
“My perception is it [Dutch Bros] may not be as high-quality coffee and so people may add syrups and stuff to it.”
— Joe Hudson, 2% Milk Latte
“I feel bad about syrups sometimes because it just, I don’t know, that feels suspicious to me. So I try to keep it as low as possible sometimes.” — Jasmarie Hernandez, Coffee with Milk and Brown Sugar
Key Insight
“My perception is it [Dutch Bros] may not be as high-quality coffee and so people may add syrups and stuff to it.”
— 2% Milk Latte
“I feel bad about syrups sometimes because it just, I don’t know, that feels suspicious to me. So I try to keep it as low as possible sometimes.”— Jasmarie HernandezCoffee with Milk and Brown Sugar
Key Insight
Who Are Coffee Purists?
Coffee Purists value craft, ritual, consistency. Their coffee is personal “me time,” not a novelty. While they live structured, fast-paced lives, they secretly crave surprise — as long as it doesn’t compromise quality
Good coffee doesn’t have to be serious to be taken seriously.
This has built them a cult-like following of female Gen-Z coffee drinkers.
Repositioning Dutch Bros
Coffee Purists value craft, ritual, consistency. Their coffee is personal “me time,” not a novelty. While they live structured, fast-paced lives, they secretly crave surprise — as long as it doesn’t compromise quality
Before
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Syrups hide low-quality coffee.
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Buys artisanal coffee at local shops.
After
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Fun flavors elevate already high-quality coffee.
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Add Dutch Bros to their coffee rotation.
We repositioned Dutch Bros to appeal to Coffee Purists without losing its playful brand. The new message emphasized that Dutch Bros uses fun flavors to elevate its core high-quality coffee, not mask it.
Creative Strategy
To bring the repositioning to life, the strategy focused on moments where Coffee Purists are most skeptical: ordering, customization, and perceived quality cues. Rather than distancing Dutch Bros from its playful identity, the execution reframed fun as intentional and craft-driven.
Messaging highlighted the idea that flavors are not distractions, but deliberate enhancements layered onto a quality coffee base. Transparency, ingredient clarity, and confident tone replaced defensive explanations about sweetness or customization.
Execution One: a Bean's Life
This execution reframed Dutch Bros’ coffee process through a narrative lens, tracing the journey of a single coffee bean from origin to cup. By visualizing sourcing, roasting, and preparation, the work made craft visible without adopting the seriousness or austerity typical of specialty coffee brands.
The goal was not to mimic traditional coffee culture, but to show that Dutch Bros already participates in it, just in its own voice.
Key Message Framework
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Craft without pretension
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Fun with intention
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Quality you can trust, personality you can enjoy
These pillars guided all executions, ensuring that playfulness never undermined credibility.
Execution Two: Surprise, It’s a Dutch Bros
This execution challenged assumptions about what high quality coffee looks and feels like by placing Dutch Bros inside a context Coffee Purists already trust. The spot opens in what appears to be a restrained artisanal coffee shop using familiar cues associated with traditional specialty coffee culture.
By grounding the opening in seriousness and ritual the execution establishes credibility before introducing playfulness. The reveal that the space is actually a Dutch Bros reframes the brand as an unexpected participant in craft coffee rather than an outsider to it.
Rather than distancing Dutch Bros from its playful identity this execution positions fun as intentional and earned. The moment of surprise allows the brand to meet Coffee Purists on their own terms and then expand their definition of what quality coffee can feel like.
Key Message Framework
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Quality can come from unexpected places
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Playfulness does not negate expertise
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Surprise can be a signal of confidence
These ideas guided the execution, using contrast and reveal to shift perceptions without confrontation.
Dutch Bros is currently positioned as the "Not So Serious Coffee Shop" that caters to both the adventurous fruity caffeine and coffee drinkers.
While Coffee Purists take their coffee seriously they still want surprising bursts of joy in their everyday lives. They just need to know that they are still getting high quality coffee.