Elavon, the payments specialist, had developed a brand new EPOS system designed especially to help café and restaurant businesses to work more smartly and simply.

As well as taking payments in a couple of clicks to keep customers smiling and queues to a minimum, the system can help with stock control and order management, helping cafes to run more smoothly than ever. Or to put it another way, helping make sure they’ll never miss a beat. 

Cue our creative idea: the beatboxing baristas.

Working with world beatbox champions The Beatbox Collective, we filmed our hero ad, set on what looks at first to be an ordinary day, in an ordinary, busy coffee shop. But the air of normality is shattered the moment an unsuspecting customer taps to pay for her coffee, and is met with a “beep!” that comes from the barista serving her, rather than the payment machine he’s holding out.

Behind him, a second barista begins beatboxing, then a third. Customers exchange astonished glances. Eventually, the manager appears at the kitchen door, making his disapproval clear – before shrugging and joining in.  

The impromptu performance comes to an end as suddenly as it started, as the beatboxers go back to barista-mode, and the customers wonder if they’ve just had a rather vivid dream. 

Getting creative with channels

The target audience of UK and Ireland independent restaurant owners can typically be found on Facebook and Instagram, but restrictions set by Elavon’s parent company meant social media channels weren’t open to us.

Instead, we had to find creative ways to serve the video and accompanying collateral to prospects. Working with a media agency, Elavon and Rooster Punk targeted YouTube, Google Display ads and PPC. Native and press adverts were placed in outlets including Big Hospitality, Catering Today and Café Life – with full front- and back-page adverts in the latter print magazine.

More detailed assets were promoted via content syndication: these included “how-to” guides, articles, reports and infographics that let Elavon dig down into the extra functionality of the EPOS unit to support staff and stock management.

And the beat goes on...

Internally at Elavon the creative hit exactly the right note. The Beatbox Collective helped launch the campaign at an internal sales kick-off with a live performance and interactive beatboxing workshop which fired imaginations.

The campaign generated leads well over expectations, with video performing strongly at 1% CTR (skippable and non-skippable), and display at 2% CTR.

Big thanks to our lovely clients, as well as The Beatboxing Collective, Will Dennies Films and Leon Hargreaves Photography.