Nescafé returns with a new mug of motivation

Following a global relaunch last year, Nescafé is on a roll. From a stammering stand-up comedian in its TVC last year, to an out-of-job cartoonist in the latest one, the coffee brand is making a statement yet again.

Around the same time last year, a stammering stand-up comedian became the talk of the (virtual) town thanks to Nescafé's 'Stutter' ad. In the second ad, part of the #ItAllStarts campaign, the instant coffee brand has turned the spotlight on the struggles of an out-of-job cartoonist who finds his inspiration in a cup of Nescafé. The video, directed by Vinil Mathew, broke online on September 4 and has since then garnered over 3 million views. It will be launched on television soon.

Executed by McCann Erickson, the ad features actor Vikrant Massey as a cartoonist who loses his job at a publication one day. As he stares into the blank canvas, memories of his daily routine - 'bas ek coffee lagana, aur lag jaana' - haunt him. Anxious about his future, he sips some coffee and realises that with his sources of inspiration and the Nescafé mug - his constant companion through good and bad - still with him, not much has changed. Enthused with confidence, he decides to follow his passion with a strengthened resolve.

The company claims that Nescafé is sipped the world over at the rate of 5,500 cups each second and that it is relished by everyone alike. But, the TG for the #ItAllStarts campaign is the youth, informs Nayla Sioufi, general manager (beverages) - Nestlé India.

In June 2014, Nescafé launched a unified, global look and feel across products in the 180 countries where the coffee is sold. As part of the exercise, all Nescafé products were given the same visual identity and a new slogan 'It all starts with a Nescafé'. The approach to packaging design and communication strategy was developed keeping in mind the younger digital natives, and Nescafé's global creative agency, McCann, was tasked with rejuvenating the brand by making it more contemporary.

On the creative brief that accompanied the revamp, Sioufi shares, "The intent was to make the brand idea relevant and inspiring to the Indian youth. Our agency partners were expected to position Nescafé as a cup of resolve that 'keeps one on plan'."

Visibly adhering to the mandate, the ads not only use a 'younger' medium, digital, but also feature fresh and lesser known faces, in contrast to celebrities. Also, the protagonist in both the ads is seen chasing an unconventional dream; this is no coincidence, but a deliberate move by the brand. Sioufi explains, "Choosing a career in the field of creative arts is viable. Today, more than ever before, youth follow their passions and make successful careers out of them. These campaigns have resonated well with our consumers, and we see a positive shift in our imagery parameters, in terms of brand health and loyalty scores."

In the past, Nescafé's ads have used several Bollywood celebrities including Deepika Padukone, Purab Kohli, musicians Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and director Karan Johar.

Nescafé was launched in Switzerland 1938, but the story of the instant coffee brand can be traced back to 1930, when the Brazilian government asked Nestlé to find a way to save the country's large quantities of surplus coffee. This request was the start of creating a new coffee experience.

Well-brewed?

Satbir Singh, chief creative officer, FCB Ulka, finds the story charming, although he maintains that it does not match up to the standard set by the 'Stutter' ad. On the brand's strategy of replacing celebrities with fresh faces, he says, "If the idea is engaging, a celebrity is not a prerequisite as was shown by the earlier creative too. Digital allows you to start conversations and that'll be an important part of the mix for all brands."

A similar view is held by Spandan Mishra, head- strategic planning, Rediffusion Y&R. According to him the 'stutter ad' was among the best ads of the year, which combined a great story and brand premise with an authentic product insight. "The music and set-up of the current ad is designed to play on that nostalgia, but it is a tough act to follow," he states.

Differing slightly from Singh, Mishra says that the use of celebrities helped the brand get noticed and gave a "much needed premium-ness to what was essentially an affordable instant coffee". He thinks that this shift to less popular actors can also work brilliantly if Nescafe nails the films as it did last year. "The proposition of 'a companion in the ups and downs of creativity' is more authentic than the previous 'switch on the best in you', which was fairly generic," he adds.

While the film scores on creativity, Mishra points out that from a strategic perspective, the campaign could have pushed a strong recruitment story; the need to get tea drinkers to try coffee once.

Independent advertising and marketing consultant Vibha Desai has a similar take on the ad, which she feels could have been better. On the brand's advertising frequency and the choice of medium, she says, "If the objective was to make the brand contemporary, Nescafé should have been more consistent with executions across digital and other media." Recall that this ad comes after a gap of exactly one year.

Celebrities, she notes, are not as intrinsic to Nescafé as fresh ideas are. In her opinion, a brand whose core lies in waking up minds has a responsibility to do just that. Desai however points out the fact that Nescafé had a strong property in 'Koffee with Karan', which it failed to leverage adequately. "To have such a popular show and not use that across media is a huge opportunity loss," she states.