Muffin Break has brought back its popular mascot, the Muffin Man, as part of a major brand evolution which is taking a playful message to consumers.
The development follows on from consumer research, which revealed that injecting more fun into the brand would supercharge Muffin Break’s reach and engagement.
Donna Oakley-Davies, general manager customer and marketing at Muffin Break’s parent company Foodco, said “We are invigorating an icon, making it more playful”.
“Franchisees can connect to the brand, see shifts in purchasing demographics, and they love the Muffin Man being used again.
“They love the brand campaign, and our product innovations. And when customers see our innovations, that creates a positive sentiment. For potential franchisees, seeing the overall Muffin Break chain grow is a sign of momentum, it’s a confidence boost,” she said.
Oakley-Davies said the brand achieves more than 80 per cent brand recognition.
“People know us for our muffins and award-winning coffee, but we have a job to communicate the broader range we offer,” she said.
The 36-year-old cafe chain is showcasing its modern, expansive menu, with the goal of broadening its customer base. It has revamped its menu, and seen double-digit growth across the wraps and melts categories.
Fresh look brand, menu and stores
The brand has adopted a cleaner, fresher colourway, a more playful tone of voice for brand messaging, and is adding crave appeal to its photography. The ribbon device logo has been simplified and stands out in a modern colour, Oakley-Davies said.
Marketing launched the Cafe Diem theme in August. The campaign includes YouTube short films, social media ads, and messaging in-store, and in out-of-house locations like shopping centres.
“We’ve seen some really good shifts in demographics and growth in our lunch day part, thanks to the films communicating our lunch message,” Oakley-Davies revealed. Taking the cafe chain into transit hubs taps into the crucial breakfast and lunch day parts, and has proved popular with franchisees.
The cafe chain is starting to use proximity marketing, conducting real time surveys through push notifications, as it looks to personalise the consumer experience.
Consumers will see the biggest change in 2026 when the business unveils its new store design and fitout.
Elements of the update will roll out across all 137 Australian stores, in all formats.
