Philips Saeco
our client’s challenge
MediaMarkt’s staff did not have the right brand image for Philips’ range of Saeco coffee machines. Philips wanted to do something about that. They also wanted to assess the sales staff’s knowledge of the product and increase their enthusiasm for the brand. The end goal was to increase Saeco sales by turning MediaMarkt sales staff into brand ambassadors.
our people’s solution
Hamilton bright events organised a training tour through the Netherlands and Belgium. During the tour, we visited various MediaMarkt stores with a fully equipped and branded ‘Saeco Airstreamer’, complete with a barista, host(ess) and driver.
The host(ess) was responsible for collecting and welcoming the trainees/store staff and providing support during the training. The barista introduced the employees to the art of coffee by demonstrating the Saeco coffee machines. Their knowledge was then tested with an interactive on-screen quiz.
To thank them for their participation, the participants received a package with luxury coffee biscuits to enjoy with a cup of coffee at home. They also received a cheat sheet with information from the course. Each store also received a custom-made Saeco coffee clock for the canteen. We asked participants to give us their contact details so we could send them reminders twice after the training, complete with a new supply of coffee biscuits and information. This ensured that the training stayed top of mind.
results that count
The results were very positive. An average of four to five employees were trained for each store, where they stand next to the coffee machines as dedicated specialists. They were specially targeted and approached beforehand to take part.
Before the training, the employees had little specific knowledge about the Saeco machines. There was a clear improvement after the training. More than 90% said they were positively surprised by the quality and options of these specific machines. This had a direct effect on sales, which experienced an uplift of 46% in the following weeks!
We also observed that this knowledge was retained in the long term, which confirms that the tour was a great success.
“With the Saeco road show, we were able to give the brand a real boost. The fresh ideas that hamilton bright came up with led to a new way of training, which generated a great deal of visibility.”
Bas van Houtum, TSM Change Philips
