Alfred

Brand Foundation, Brand Voice Evolution, Copy

Role: Strategy + Direction
Team: Ecstatic Voice

In the last 12 years, Alfred has expanded from a coffee shop on Melrose Place into 20 locations and counting—each one as uniquely individual as the neighborhood it serves. On the other side of the pandemic and in a steady state of growth, leadership was looking to redefine and realign the Alfred brand to support a new era of maturity and expansion.

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A Los Angeles original.

GOAL

To catalyze Alfred into a new era with a clearly defined vision, purpose, mission, values, and guiding principles—and the language to clearly communicate them.

stakeholders

CEO, Operations, Business Development, Marketing, Partnerships, HR, Food & Beverage, Cafe Management

CHALLENGES

Positioning Alfred in a crowded market, clarifying and evolving its identity, bridging the gaps between HQ and cafe teams, and elevating its voice overall.

APPROACH

I led a deeply researched and in-depth strategic process to craft a comprehensive foundation that redefines Alfred and resonates both internally and externally.

SELECT ASSETS

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To be the neighborhood coffee shop of LA.

Alfred’s first-ever vision statement is simple and speakable, reinvigorating its commitment to its hometown and doubling as a tagline.

Alfred’s previous mission statement wasn’t expansive or clear enough.

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Alfred is a whole experience. Our mission is to invite everyone into our world and give them every reason to stay.

A new mission owns the multidimensional Alfred experience and asserts its commitment to serving everyone with excellence.

Alfred’s previous values spoke to general areas of the brand and weren’t actionable.

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Consistent Innovation

Everyday Excellence

Collaborative Individuality

Joyful Belonging

Four new values, for the four walls of a cafe, paint a vivid and intentional picture.

value

Consistent Innovation

PRINCIPLE

We lead the charge.

Our steadfast commitment to dynamic evolution has put us in a class by ourselves. We don’t just embrace change; we lead it. We pride ourselves in being adaptable, taking agile action, and never playing it safe. We’re not staying ahead of the curve — we’re defining it.

Each value connects to an actionable guiding principle and a description to further illuminate its meaning.

Alfred’s vision, mission, and values integrated into a new boilerplate to reintroduce the brand and announce its next era.

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Welcome to our world.

Another new tagline derived from the new mission.

OUTPUT

  • A cohesive brand foundation and an elevated voice

  • Actionable communication strategy complete with a new boilerplate, brand statements, taglines, and core copy

  • A deeply researched assessment of brand positioning, communication challenges, and competitive set

  • Working sessions with senior leadership and management, described by team members as “better than therapy”

IMPACT

  • A reinvigorated and reunited team of 250+

  • Catalyzed growth with 25% more Alfred locations slated for 2025 and aligned expansion into new brands

  • Cohesive messaging across all brand channels and PR

  • A clear foundation for a new visual identity & website

  • Mission-fueled rapid LA fire response with over $50K raised at Alfred locations around the city

“Cate, thank you for being an amazing partner in transforming Alfred’s foundational language. We absolutely loved getting to see the team’s reaction as we rolled it out, and we look forward to bringing it into the broader community experience in 2025.”

ALFRED LEADERSHIP

“This all wouldn’t be possible without some new friends — the incomparable Cate Scott Campbell, thank you for distilling our endless, massive, and ever-evolving mission into mere words.”

JOSH ZAD, CEO on linkedin