Seattle’s Best Coffee Raises the Curtain on the Declare Your Level Show: 24 Hours of Free Coffee & Comedy for Facebook Fans

Brand Breaks New Ground in Social Media with Comedy Marathon and Customized Fan Content

SEATTLE, - Facebookers, get ready to LOL for 24 hours straight. A virtual comedy smorgasbord will begin on April 13 at 1 p.m. Eastern when Starbucks-owned Seattle’s Best Coffee (NASDAQ: SBUX) debuts the “Declare Your Level Show.” The brand is teaming with world-famous improv troupe Second City Communications for this first-of-its-kind comedy and coffee extravaganza. Just like a traditional improv show, the Facebook audience will participate by providing content that will inspire personalized, one-of-a-kind sketches, songs, and one-liners.

This event is part of a multi-million dollar marketing campaign supporting the launch of The Level System, the brand’s radically simplified approach to packaged coffee introduced in Dec. 2010. The first 100,000 people to participate will receive a free sample of the Level of their choice, from a light, crisp Level 1 to a bold, dark Level 5.

Twenty-one actors and five directors from Second City will improvise for the “Declare Your Level Show” over the 24-hour period. Upon declaring their Level, participants will be met with a congratulatory video inspired by their Level, featuring Second City actors. Fans will then be placed in queue to be one of approximately 1,000 people who will be part of the LIVE improv show. When the sketch inspired by each fan is finished, it will be posted directly to their Facebook wall, which is the first time this technology has been available.

“When it comes to integrated marketing, so often you have to choose between driving an emotional brand connection or a hard-hitting product message; but the beauty of the Declare Your Level Show is that it lands both in a very big way,” said Michelle Gass, president Seattle’s Best Coffee. “We learned early on that Facebook is a great way to get our coffee into thousands of people’s hands and this is just one of the many ways we plan to activate consumers as we build a long-term relationship with them.”

How to Get a Free Coffee Sample and Join in on the Declare Your Level Show

To participate, fans should “Like” the Seattle’s Best Coffee Facebook page at www.facebook.com/seattlesbestcoffee. They will then be prompted to declare their Level and answer brief questions that will inspire the sketch.
The first 100,000 people to declare their Level will receive a free coffee sample that brews a 10-cup pot of coffee.

Tune in to the Declare Your Level Show

Consumers will be able to RSVP on Facebook beginning Monday, April 11. The non-stop comedic action will air from 1 p.m. Eastern on April 13 to 1 p.m. on April 14 at www.facebook.com/seattlesbestcoffee.

About Seattle’s Best Levels

The Seattle’s Best Coffee Level System delivers great tasting, premium coffee with an expanded blend offering in conjunction with an innovative and bold new packaging concept. The Level System’s unique array of numbers and vivid colors tell consumers exactly what they want to know: which type of coffee fits their taste profile. Seattle’s Best Coffee is the first brand in the coffee category to offer this unique approach; consumers can easily choose from a selection of blends from a mild, light and crisp Level 1 to a bold, dark and intense Level 5. Each Level represents a finely tuned recipe crafted from decades of roasting experience, blended from beans carefully chosen for their nuances and characteristics, and carrying the hallmark taste of Seattle’s Best Coffee: velvety, round and smooth.

About Seattle’s Best Coffee

Seattle’s Best Coffee, LLC has been roasting premium coffee since 1970 and today roasts more than 20 million pounds of coffee every year and millions of cups of our coffee are served every day. A freshly brewed cup of Seattle’s Best Coffee is currently available in more than 40,000 locations including cafes, college campuses, restaurants, hotels, airlines, cruise ships, bookstores, grocery stores and movie theatres. Seattle’s Best Coffee is a featured brand within Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX) and is ranked among the 10 best franchise opportunities by QSR Magazine (January 2010). For more information, please visit Seattle’s Best Coffee online at www.seattlesbest.com

About Second City Communications

Second City Communications is the corporate services arm of the world-famous comedy theatre The Second City. In essence, core competencies of The Second City — creating customized comedic content and engaging audiences extend to Second City Communications and are guided by a fundamental assumption: Business is an act of improvisation. Maintaining 400+ engagements a year with fortune 1000 clients, Second City Communications serves departments in every industry in training and development, live entertainment, corporate event and meeting support, creative video communications and brand marketing. More information about SCC is available at: www.secondcitycommunications.com.