Social Listening - Black Rifle Coffee Company - BRCC
Social Listening - Black Rifle Coffee Company - BRCC
For this week's blog assignment I chose Black Rifle Coffee Company, a veteran owned business who specializes in coffee beans. This company piqued my interest not only for the love of sipping coffee throughout the day but more importantly their promise to employ and support men and women veterans who share the same passion for the country they have or are serving in.
To sum up their value proposition it would read: A veteran owned business crafting high-quality coffee for men and women who share in military values, whilst supporting veterans, law enforcement, and first responders not only through their coffee business but on social media, blogs, a lifestyle magazine and a podcast. Their competitive advantage comes out of employing the new rules of business and utilizing many forms of social media to reach multiple audiences as listed above.
Delving deeper into BRCC’s Instagram they often post funny coffee videos, the history of American wars and highlighting brave veterans. They will display funny skits often involving hatred towards tea and share veteran-owned businesses they support. For example on May 7th, 2024 they created a post relaying their support for a dog training company called Rescue 22 who trains unwanted dogs for veterans.
Because of the background of the company and what it stands for BRCC does advertise to a niche group of people. For this reason they have the advantage of targeting US citizens' patriotism by releasing videos centered around the military. In many videos they use storytelling to promote their product such as portraying well known figures like George Washington and the redcoats. On July 2nd the company released a short video of a redcoat stomping a bag of coffee explaining “tea is his majesty’s drink”. Next thing you know George Washington with the sound of the classic all American bald eagle in the background, comes riding in on a tank. This video alone on Instagram gained 62,224 likes becoming one of their more well liked posts next to George Washington flipping off the viewer with 1776 brass knuckles. The viewers are intrigued and moved and will most often use the simple American flag emoji in response.
The company utilizes holidays and important days known well in the military community such as the anniversary of D-Day. This year it was the 80th anniversary of that day and like many news outlets, BRCC understood the marking advantage and included respect to cover the sacrifice of those who fought on the beaches of Normandy. By preparing statements ahead of time, knowing the 80th anniversary was coming, brought in thousands of views to the company. They ended up releasing 16 videos in regards to this topic. This marketing tactic of taking advantage of well known days was well executed and brought in more patriotic Americans to their business.
Lastly, on many of their posts you will see individuals connecting by referencing a military known term/equipment or sharing their experiences whilst they were in the armed forces. In the company's most recent post they shared a video of a helicopter crashing down with the caption “The moment coffee leaves my body.” Underneath alpha_wolf45xd explains the video is most likely showing the frame of an out of commission helicopter that is being used for a crash study to help with future building of more safer models. Most like this appeals to humor and in this case more education.
The company received very little negative comments, however, there were people questioning the intent of the company's donations. The company is understood to be Republican because of the association with guns, freedom and veterans, often a characteristic of the right party. However politics aside these comments often were met with people defending the company with one user replying “dems are Americans so *BRCC supports Americans fixed it for you.” Of course with a company that delves into American freedom it often is met with politically charged fans.
BRCC does not reply to comments on their social media. I do believe they should reply to certain comments, especially those that speak highly of veterans or who talk about their family’s history in wars. However I understand if there is any hesitation to respond, as mentioned the company can garner political comments, which can be hard to navigate. This assignment has taught me to utilize the history of whatever the product or company is based on to create content that appeals to those seeking education. This creates a community of people who all have come for a familiar and understood purpose. In BRCC’s case it is American freedom through the hard work and sacrifice of veterans so that we can enjoy a hot cup of dark coffee.
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