LANSING, Mich., USA — Biggby Coffee, the 340-unit coffee concept, has welcomed industry veteran Michele Waits as chief marketing officer. Waits has 25 years in brand management and more than 11 years in coffee marketing as a vice president for Starbucks. In addition to Starbucks, Waits has worked with brands such as Gerber and illycaffè.
“Michele brings a remarkable professional history to the Biggby Coffee team,” says Michael McFall, co-founder and co-CEO. “As we work to drive the brand forward, her insights will empower the marketing team to connect with our customers in a more individualized way, streamlining and modernizing our efforts.”
Just as Biggby Coffee offers customers coffee however they want it, Waits’ marketing strategy will take a similar approach. By leveraging personalized digital marketing and a social media presence, the brand will be able to connect with its customers how and where they prefer.
“Personalized digital marketing delivered through an app is a perfect way to be able to extend the ‘any way you want it’ conversation that we have in our stores to deliver a great customer experience outside of the stores as well,” Waits says.
Biggby Coffee, based in East Lansing, Mich., was started with a single store on March 15, 1995. One year later, and on the cusp of opening a second location, Bob Fish and Michael McFall decided to franchise the concept.
Today, Biggby Coffee has 340 cafes across many states, including Virginia, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Idaho, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Wisconsin, Kentucky and Florida.
