How Minor Figures keeps it cool with brand tracking

Cool, creative and relentlessly innovative, Minor Figures tested their brand health in London and the wider UK ahead of a major NPD launch. With quick, actionable feedback from real oat milk drinkers, they set a brand benchmark, launched with confidence and laid the groundwork for their marketing plan.

The client

Minor Figures began in East London in 2014 as a cold brew coffee company inspired by Japanese coffee culture. Today, they’re known globally as the indie oat milk brand that baristas love and creatives champion.

Their intentions were never to replace dairy - they set out to make coffee taste even better. That commitment to being the perfect partner for coffee led them to launch the UK’s first shelf-stable nitro cold brew, and later, barista-standard oat milks (including the first certified organic oat milk that could hold latte art).

Fast, fearless, and design-led, Minor Figures are known for doing things before the market’s ready. Their brand isn’t just part of their product; it is the product. And that means every campaign, every SKU, and every move has to build on the story they’re telling.

The challenge

Minor Figures had a big year ahead - starting with four new oat milks that weren’t just delicious, but disruptive. With flavours like matcha, berry, mango and turmeric, they were launching the UK’s first flavoured and functional oat milks.

Innovation is at the heart of what they do, so bringing in four new NPD skus that changed up the oat milk game was the perfect play for them - they also knew a greater shelf-presence would lift their current product and brand visibility.

So, before hitting the shelves, the team wanted a baseline read of their brand health, particularly in London, their spiritual home and oat milk heartland, compared to the wider UK. 

The approach

Minor Figures turned to Stickybeak’s Brand Health Dip to get a read on their full funnel metrics (awareness, consideration, preference, purchase, as well as how their key brand attributes were stacking up). A quick but robust test with 1,000 oat milk drinkers, split between London and the rest of the UK, gave them the benchmark they needed. 

The result? A clear “line in the sand” to track progress against, and insights they could feed directly into their marketing strategy.

The result

The dip confirmed that Minor Figures’ brand was resonating with their target (18–35s in London) with a solid awareness - but it also highlighted a big opportunity to grow that number further.

Armed with that insight, the team launched their new SKUs and built a campaign roadmap around improving awareness and reinforcing their “cool, creative” brand perception.

The next two brand health dips are already in motion, scheduled for six and twelve months after the original.

And with even bigger innovation, Minor Figures now has a brand tracking model that can keep pace with their product pipeline.

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