Unicorn Campaign: Morning Mugs with Tyler DellaRatta

In this episode of Unicorn Campaigns, host Dave Valentine sits down with Tyler, the founder of Morning Mugs, a Baltimore-based coffee shop that’s redefining the café experience one color sleeve at a time. What started as a playful mug game in an office kitchen turned into a full-blown brand movement — with lines out the door and customers dreaming in purple.

🔥 In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How Morning Mugs grew from a quirky Instagram guessing game into a brick-and-mortar business with a devoted local following.

• The brand psychology behind Tyler’s color sleeve game — and how it turned a daily coffee run into a joyful, gamified ritual that sparks emotional connections.

• Why Tyler believes “people don’t buy what you sell, they buy why you sell it,” and how that belief shapes every customer touchpoint, from seasonal specials to event appearances.

• The secrets to creating consistent brand experiences across locations without losing the fun, flavor, and founder energy that built the brand in the first place.

• How Tyler handles the shift from operator to CEO, builds marketing into his weekly rhythms, and protects his time and focus like a true brand leader.

🎯 Whether you’re building a food & beverage brand, launching a brick-and-mortar store, or just want to turn customers into storytellers, Tyler’s approach to joy-first marketing and playful consistency is packed with inspiration.

Keywords for discovery: Morning Mugs Baltimore, gamified coffee shop, coffee marketing ideas, small business branding podcast, experiential marketing, brand storytelling, coffee sleeve game, customer retention strategy, emotional branding, cafe entrepreneur journey, marketing joy, Simon Sinek brand why, hospitality marketing podcast, Unicorn Campaigns podcast

📲 Follow @morningmugscoffee on all platforms or stop by one of their Baltimore locations to play the color game yourself.

🎧 Subscribe to Unicorn Campaigns for more behind-the-scenes stories of wildly successful marketing moves that built brands worth raving about.