ABC COFFEE ROASTERS

ABC Coffee Roasters is a contemporary specialty-coffee brand whose official communication combines hospitality, design, and urban lifestyle. The homepage states that the brand’s story begins in 2017 and frames the company as a network of places rather than a single cafe. It explicitly says that ABC «creates places where you will find community, ” and describes its portfolio as ranging from intimate cafes connected with art spaces to flagship locations. Its public-facing ecosystem spans multiple cities and countries: the website lists locations in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Dubai, along with an „opening soon“ entry. This already indicates that ABC is positioning itself not as a neighborhood kiosk or purely transactional coffee outlet, but as an expandable lifestyle brand with a recognizable aesthetic language.

The brand’s positioning is built around three core ideas. First, it emphasizes atmosphere and emotional state: the homepage speaks of calm, light, air, and „visual silence“, suggesting that ABC wants to be associated with restoration and clarity rather than overstimulation. Second, it emphasizes guest-centered hospitality: the philosophy page says that the guest and the guest’s wishes are at the center of the team’s attention. Third, it emphasizes craftsmanship: the homepage says that every step from bean to cup is calibrated, while the partner page foregrounds specialty roasting, technical equipment, and collaboration. Together, these elements suggest a hybrid positioning: ABC promises aesthetic serenity, social comfort, and professional coffee competence at the same time. [1]

Therefore, ABC Coffee Roasters can also be understood through Ray Oldenburg’s concept of the «third place». «As indicated, the remainder of this discussion will be devoted to the community-building functions which „great good places“ typically perform. Most often I refer to such places as „third places“ (after home, first, and workplace, second) and these are informal public gathering places. These places serve community best to the extent that they are inclusive and local» (Oldenburg, 1999, 19). Coffee shops are often considered one of the most common examples of such spaces. [2]

Through its design, welcoming atmosphere, and connections with local creative scenes, ABC creates spaces that support different everyday activities. Visitors can use the cafés as places to meet friends, work, relax, or spend time between other parts of their daily routine. In this sense, ABC Coffee Roasters functions as a contemporary third place that fosters community engagement and strengthens the emotional connection between the brand and its audience.

ABC Coffee Roasters uses a communication architecture that combines owned channels, earned media, and space-based communication. At the center is the official website, which serves as a navigational hub for locations, philosophy, contacts, the online shop, partner relations, and social links. The website does more than provide practical information: it also communicates brand identity through copy, design values, and location storytelling. The philosophy page articulates the brand’s aesthetic and service logic, while the partner page frames ABC as a technically serious roasting and collaboration platform. [1]

Telegram feels more like ABC’s behind‑the‑scenes hangout than a regular marketing channel. The public preview calls it «abc on air» with the tagline «backstage, news & more», and it currently has around 1,070 subscribers. That wording matters: unlike the website, which talks to everyone, this channel hints at something closer — a peek behind the curtain. It’s not about big numbers; it’s the kind of space where loyal customers and curious followers get a little extra access and a sense of being in the know.

As of June 2026, ABC’s Instagram* following stands at nearly 30,000, while its Telegram audience is much smaller. This discrepancy may be explained by the lower usage of Telegram in other regions where ABC operates — Dubai, for instance. Nevertheless, without access to the brand’s reach statistics, it would be somewhat inaccurate to draw firm conclusions.

*Instagram is owned by Meta, which is recognized as extremist in Russia.

The final and perhaps most important channel is the physical cafe itself. ABC’s location descriptions are not neutral directory entries; they are small pieces of place-branding. They frame cafes as spaces near theatres, universities, business districts, galleries, parks, and shopping destinations; they also describe their interiors, menus, and moods. This means the café is a communication interface in two senses at once: it communicates identity offline to visitors, and it supplies the visual and narrative material that can later circulate online.

The first selected theory is the Elaboration Likelihood Model. Petty and Cacioppo explain persuasion through two broad routes: a central route, where people carefully evaluate arguments and information, and a peripheral route, where attitudes are shaped more by cues, affects, and simple inferences tied to the persuasive context.

Their 1986 formulation is especially useful here because a cafe brand like ABC persuades through both routes at once: through argument-like information about roasting, quality, and expertise, and through aesthetic and symbolic signals such as interior design, material textures, atmosphere, and visual coherence. Petty and Cacioppo also argue that attitudes formed through high-elaboration, central-route processing are more enduring and more predictive of behavior than those formed through low-elaboration routes. [3]

Another relevant framework is Uses and Gratifications theory, which views audiences as active participants who choose media based on their needs and interests (Blumler & Katz, 1974). People use communication channels to seek information, connect with others, express identity, and gain enjoyment. Uses and Gratifications Theory assumes that media users are active rather than passive. People select communication channels that they believe will provide value, whether in the form of information, entertainment, social interaction, or personal expression. From this perspective, media compete for users’ attention, and understanding audience motivations becomes essential for effective communication. [4] This fits ABC well. Its website, Instagram, Telegram, and physical cafés each seem to serve different purposes for the visitor, rather than simply broadcasting the same message to a silent crowd.

*Instagram is owned by Meta, which is recognized as extremist in Russia.

West and Turner (2018) and McQuail (2005) are useful as secondary syntheses because they help justify why these two theories fit this case. In communication textbooks and broad media‑theory overviews, ELM is treated as a micro‑level persuasion framework (Petty & Cacioppo, 1986), while Uses and Gratifications is treated as an active‑audience approach centered on media choice and need satisfaction (Katz, Blumler & Gurevitch, 1974). Although Aaker’s brand identity model (1966) is not one of the primary theoretical frameworks used in this analysis, it helps explain the strength of ABC’s positioning. The brand relies on a consistent combination of visual, spatial, and cultural associations that shape how audiences perceive it. Rather than focusing only on products, ABC communicates a broader identity connected to design, lifestyle, quality, and community.

ABC Coffee Roasters is especially strong when analyzed through ELM because its current communication clearly prioritizes peripheral persuasion. The homepage and philosophy page repeatedly foreground light, air, neutral colors, natural textures, simple forms, and «visual silence.» These are not only informational claims, but atmospheric cues that help a viewer infer quality, calm, and sophistication before any detailed knowledge about coffee is processed. The interior and calm atmosphere of the place are also admitted by several media platforms, which describe ABC as the place with sleek interior and the high-quality product. Through ELM, this means ABC has built a very effective peripheral route for first impressions and brand differentiation. A viewer can grasp «what kind of place this is» almost immediately. [8]

At the same time, ABC does not rely on aesthetics alone. It also offers central-route material, although less fully than it could. The homepage states that every step from bean to cup is calibrated and that baristas act as guides to coffee culture. The partner page adds more explicit competence cues: control begins at plantation maturity, specialty coffee has been roasted on Probat equipment since 2016, a second Moscow roasting production opened on Giesen equipment in 2019, and current capacity reaches up to ten tons per month. Independent coverage strengthens these cues: The Coffeevine describes visible professional equipment and barista seriousness. In ELM terms, ABC therefore combines peripheral attractiveness with central signals of technical legitimacy. [9]

For a specialty-coffee audience, that is a missed opportunity. Petty and Cacioppo’s model implies that when motivation and ability are high, stronger argument quality produces more durable attitudes. [3]

To strengthen its communication strategy, ABC could place greater emphasis on demonstrating the expertise behind its products. More visible explanations of coffee sourcing, roasting practices, barista knowledge, and beverage development would help audiences better understand the brand’s professional competence. The challenge is not to change the existing minimalist identity, but to complement it with clearer educational and informational elements.

Uses and Gratifications reveals another strength: ABC seems well aligned with specific audience motives. For diversion and emotional restoration, the brand consistently promises calm and pause. The homepage frames the café as a place to stop the movement of the metropolis, and the Dubai Osmanthus House description explicitly calls the site an oasis of tranquility near one of the city’s busiest zones.

For social belonging, the homepage states that ABC creates places of community and that the atmosphere should be comfortable both for communication and for being alone. For information and insider access, visitors can use the website for locations, menus, partner contact, and philosophy, while Telegram offers «backstage, news & more». In U&G terms, the brand currently serves surveillance, diversion, and companionship quite effectively. [1]

ABC also satisfies personal-identity needs, especially through visual shareability. The Village’s observation tells that Instagram* was quickly filled with interior photographs after launch suggests that the café was not only visited but also performed socially through images. A shareable cafe interior does more than generate «pretty content»: it allows visitors to project taste, calm, cultural literacy, and urban belonging. This matters for a brand whose locations are tied to theatres, universities, art-adjacent districts, business centers, and design-conscious urban routines. In Uses and Gratifications terms, ABC appears to support a symbolic self-presentation motive alongside more practical informational ones. This is likely one reason the brand’s aesthetic consistency has become such a communicative asset. [8]

The main limitation in U&G terms is that publicly visible channel differentiation could be stronger. Telegram already promises backstage access, but the available evidence does not yet show a fully developed member logic, such as recurring rituals, polls, event priority, subscriber-only tastings, or localized alerts by venue. Likewise, Instagram’s likely role as the aspirational discovery layer should be complemented by clearer utility and education. In other words, ABC already attracts attention; the next stage is to produce more channel-specific gratifications so that each channel gives the audience a distinct reason to return. [10]

*Instagram is owned by Meta, which is recognized as extremist in Russia.

Oldenburg’s Third Place perspective clarifies why ABC’s physical environment should be treated as a communication platform in its own right. Many of ABC’s public descriptions align tightly with the model of such place: the University café is framed as a place to stop by after lectures; the Opera site is positioned near a theatre and boulevard; Falcon is tied to a business center routine; other locations are associated with walking, shopping, reading, and spending time with favorite people. The recurring message is that ABC inserts itself into everyday transitions between work, study, culture, leisure, and movement through the city. That is classic third-place logic. This is where the brand has an important strategic opportunity. If ABC is already functioning as a third place, then the communication strategy should leverage the café as a community medium rather than using digital channels only to advertise products.

From a communication strategy perspective, ABC could strengthen its brand engagement without sacrificing minimalism. Drawing on the Elaboration Likelihood Model, the brand should make its expertise more visible through short «from bean to cup» modules, origin cards, and barista explainers — giving motivated audiences stronger arguments for lasting attitudes. Uses and Gratifications theory also suggests that each platform should serve distinct needs: Instagram* for aspiration, Telegram for insider utility, and the website for practical planning. To embed itself as a true «third place», ABC could turn each location into a local micro-narrative — sharing neighborhood stories and before/after rituals — while building repeatable events like weekly cuppings or student study windows. Beyond aesthetics, the brand should convert casual admiration into membership through Telegram-first drops and post-visit QR journeys (as the continuity of the interaction between a customer and the brand). Finally, measurement needs to move beyond visibility: tracking saves, shares, Telegram clicks, event attendance, and repeat visits would offer a much clearer picture of real engagement.

Thus ABC won’t have to change its identity, but it can make it work better through more interactions with visitors and strengthen its existing brand’s communication patterns.

*Instagram is owned by Meta, which is recognized as extremist in Russia.

The findings show that ABC Coffee Roasters has developed a strong and consistent brand identity based on aesthetics, community, and specialty-coffee culture. The brand effectively uses visual and emotional communication to create a sense of calm, belonging, and lifestyle value. However, its expertise and community engagement could be communicated more explicitly across digital platforms. Our report recommends strengthening educational content, increasing opportunities for audience participation, and further developing the brand’s role as a modern third place.