Naming & positioning a new iced coffee with Costa
We worked with Costa to name, and develop the product proposition for, a new planned coffee launch for summer 2026 – an iced latte with a more luxurious, less watery feel. We created naming platforms, ran an internal naming sprint and held a prioritisation session with the team, ultimately selecting the name Velvetino. We creatively visualised the name and finessed the consumer-facing concept accordingly.
The Potential:
Costa had a clear product concept in mind but were unsure how best to position it to appeal to the mainstream consumer, as well as getting across the unique texture and mouthfeel of the product. They came to us to get a fresh consultative perspective on how to position the product and find a memorable and descriptive name for it which evoked the right associations for consumers.
The Insight:
We experimented with language and tone to find the right name, as well as taking a look at the competition to see how similar products might be positioned and find our unique point of difference. Velvetino was a winner because of its strong textural and premium cues, as well as feeling right for Italian coffee (with the “tino” ending).
The Idea:
Turn naming into the product experience. We developed a structured naming process, blending competitive analysis, linguistic exploration and collaborative sprinting with Costa’s team. The result was Velvetino, a name that signals smoothness, indulgence and Italian coffee heritage in one word. We then brought it to life through concept visualisation and refined positioning that made the texture the hero.
The Impact:
Velvetino launched as a flagship product for summer 2026, providing Costa with a distinctive, ownable platform for innovation and future product extensions.
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