Tram Cream Coffee

Tram Cream Coffee
Recap of Marketing Review, Findings, and 90-Day Roadmap
Attendees: Tram Ownership Group, Tiko, Moon, and Quy
Primary objective: Confirm Phase 1 scope, owners, cadence, and deliverables
What We Aligned on in the Meeting
What Tram Wants
Measurable marketing that creates consistent, recurring demand (not only event spikes)
A clearer, defensible "why us" that customers understand in seconds
Operational consistency that protects the brand as more locations open
Why Marketing and Ops Connect
Marketing sets expectations before the visit
Operations confirms or breaks expectations during the visit
Reviews and word of mouth compound based on consistency over time
Immediate Phase 1 Focus
Standardize brand expression
Standardize execution basics
Build a measurable marketing system
Customer journey logic shows that consistency across touchpoints drives long-term growth. Marketing and operations must work together to protect and amplify the brand.
Market Reality
What we found looking at Vietnamese coffee growth, and why it matters for Tram now
Vietnamese Coffee Is Gaining Mainstream Exposure
More consumers are learning about robusta and condensed milk through social media, which helps. However, brands still need to educate and frame it correctly to overcome historical quality perceptions.
Vietnamese coffee often fights a quality perception issue around robusta, historically treated as "lower quality" in many markets. Differentiation must be proven, not just claimed.
"Too Strong" Perception
Robusta concentration and caffeine content can intimidate first-timers. Menu language, staff talk-track, and sampling must account for this perception challenge.
Sweetness and Dilution Consistency
U.S. preference skews iced and sweet. Consistency of sweetness and dilution becomes a critical brand issue that directly impacts repeat visits.
Story and Education Win
Winning brands don't just sell "Vietnamese coffee." They reposition it and teach it through story, proof points, and repeatable content that builds trust.
Benchmark Patterns from Brands That Are Winning
What consistently shows up across strong coffee brands (Vietnamese and non-Vietnamese)
Education + Proof Points
Nguyen Coffee Supply leads with clear sourcing identity and product proof. Their 100% Vietnamese robusta positioning is explicit and repeatable. Winning Vietnamese coffee brands lean into explaining robusta and condensed milk, not hiding it.
One Voice, One Home Base
Central brand identity reduces fragmented posting and inconsistent tone, which otherwise weakens recognition over time. Independent pages and heavy approval cycles slow velocity and fragment voice.
Reviews as Growth Infrastructure
Most consumers read reviews when researching local businesses, and Google is the dominant review discovery platform. Complete, accurate Business Profile information helps local visibility before any creative work begins.
Takeaway for Tram: Phase 1 must build the same infrastructure, then creative and spend become efficient.
What the Tram Marketing Materials Reveal
Documented analysis of Tram's existing marketing presentation and systems
Core Finding
Strong structure and compliance, but low emotional and cultural transmission. The materials communicate control, but don't communicate the brand's "heart" in a way that builds connection and repeat behavior.
Social Framework
Fragmented by store pages, inconsistent tone, approval-heavy workflow slows momentum and reduces ability to act quickly on trends.
Campaign System
One-way messaging, limited creative flexibility, measurement undefined. Campaigns lack the feedback loops needed for optimization.
Launch Approach
Older retail playbook focused on events that create attention but limited compounding digital presence for long-term growth.
This is why Phase 1 prioritizes system correction, not more activity.
Why Ops Must Be Documented in Phase 1
This is not "ops for ops' sake." It is brand protection and marketing efficiency.
Operational Inconsistency Becomes a Marketing Tax
Inconsistent execution drives mixed experiences, mixed reviews, and reduces the ability for marketing to compound. Every inconsistent drink or service moment undermines the marketing investment.
1
Drink Build Standards
Ice, volume, sweetness, and dilution specifications that ensure every signature drink tastes the same across shifts and locations.
2
Shift Standards
Open, mid, and close checklists that maintain cleanliness, prep quality, and operational readiness throughout the day.
3
Service Standards
Greeting, explanation, and speed expectations that create a predictable, welcoming customer experience every time.
4
Manager Coaching Cadence
Daily checklist and weekly review structure that ensures standards are reinforced and team members receive consistent feedback.
SOPs and checklists are the mechanism that allows a coffee shop to execute the same way across shifts and locations. Documentation protects the brand at scale.
Phase 1 Roadmap (30-60-90)
Phase 1 goal: build a stable, measurable system and reduce variance
1
Days 0-30: Baseline and Discovery Stability
Marketing Analysis Deliverables
Present Marketing Analysis Report and confirm top priorities
Discovery Infrastructure
Google Business Profile completeness, accuracy, category alignment, photos, offers, and review workflow
Benchmark Pack
5 competitor snapshots with positioning, content patterns, and discovery signals
Ops Documentation Kickoff
Draft the top 10 "experience-critical" standards
2
Days 31-60: Standardization and Content System
Brand and Messaging
Lock the one-line positioning + 3 to 5 proof points (sourcing, process, signature items, founder story)
Systemize content using the playbook framework (Hero, Human, Pulse)
Measurement
Launch Marketing Health Score (weekly) and competitor check (monthly)
Ops
Publish manager checklist v1 and shift standards v1
Start weekly coaching rhythm
3
Days 61-90: Proof and Stabilization
Marketing
Compare baseline vs current performance
Keep what moved the needle, kill what didn't (evidence-based iteration)
Ops
Audit consistency across shifts and locations
Reinforce standards, reduce leadership firefighting
Phase 1 Exit Criteria
Discovery stable, voice consistent, standards documented, measurable cadence running
What We Will Measure
Marketing Health Score: This prevents debates and forces clarity
We will track the metrics that actually influence local decision-making and long-term brand strength. This scorecard creates accountability and shows what's working.
1
Discovery and Reputation
Review behavior is deeply embedded in local decision-making. Most consumers read reviews when researching local businesses. i.e. Yelp
Track: Review volume, review velocity, response rate, top themes, and photo volume
2
Google Business Profile Fundamentals
Google explicitly points to completeness and accuracy as key for local visibility in their official guidance.
Track: Completeness, primary category, services, photos, posts, Q&A, and listing consistency
3
Content Performance Quality
Not vanity metrics only. We measure engagement that indicates real interest and action-taking behavior.
Track: Saves, shares, profile actions, direction requests, call clicks (where available), and content by bucket (Hero, Human, Pulse) to ensure rhythm
Phase 2 Begins After Day 90
Phase 2 is where scale becomes rational, not risky
Scale Levers
Paid media, partnerships, and multi-location events redesigned to create content and compounding digital signals. We activate paid channels only after organic infrastructure proves stable.
Franchise Readiness
Training certification, audit cadence, and brand guardrails enforcement ensure new locations can execute with consistency from day one.
Expansion Play
"One brand, one voice" governance model with a faster creative approval process that maintains quality while increasing velocity.
Phase 2 entry requirement: Phase 1 exit criteria met with evidence (baseline vs current performance showing measurable improvement).
Phase 2 focus areas will be filled in with the ownership group based on Phase 1 results. We design Phase 2 based on what we learn, not assumptions.
Next Step For Today
To execute Phase 1 cleanly, we need alignment on four items
1
Access and Data
Admin access to Google Business Profile, social accounts, and website analytics (read access is fine to start). Without access, we cannot establish baseline metrics or implement changes.
2
Ownership and Cadence
Who owns approvals, who owns execution, and weekly review time locked on calendars. Clear ownership prevents bottlenecks and ensures momentum.
3
Store and Scope Priority
Which location is the Phase 1 baseline store, and which locations follow. Starting with one location allows us to perfect the system before scaling.
4
Phase 1 Deliverables Confirmation
Marketing: Marketing Analysis Report, Health Score, competitor benchmark pack
Ops: Drink build standards, shift standards, manager checklist