Nescafé’s new film attempts to make drinking coffee a daily habit in a college kid’s life

What is a better marketing move than making yourself the defining link between two generations?

The new year brings with it truckloads of hope, promises and optimism. However, for many who are already weary of the COVID pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns, ‘Stayin’ Alive’ from the Bee Gees is their mantra every few hours.

If waking up or staying awake is hard, what about moving to another city for college? In India, students looking at such prospects, face a daunting challenge, known as “parental approval”. And, trust us, the pandemic is a meek entity in front of it.

A new ad from coffee beverage giant Nescafé India tackles this issue without a murmur of the pandemic. It must be time to move on. Unfortunately, the pandemic has made a return, with the Omicron variant.

In the ad, we see a girl alarmed at her father for not signing her college form because he feels she can go to the next door college that is within “walking distance”, than travel to Mumbai.

The girl is aghast and says it is time for her to do her own thing. The father understands and decides to make Nescafé coffee to bring their argument to an end. It is also a sign of acceptance on his part.

It is an interesting ad because for starters, it shows us the changing of the guard. The father has shielded his daughter, but now has to let her go and find her own feet.

Second, it is the act of brewing coffee. Not every Indian household drinks coffee. In this case, the family does, but it is now up to the girl to continue the tradition. When the father accepts her choice, it is subtle, but the girl who initially thought her dreams had crashed, does not see it like that over a cup of coffee. She will, undoubtedly, continue to drink coffee in Mumbai as well.

We saw a similar ad from Nescafé in 2017. It featured a father, his son and a college acceptance letter. When ‘father dearest’ realises his son will study in his alma mater, he takes matters into his own hands and brews a ‘strong’ Nescafé for him. Why? Because he now has to put up with the habit of “waking up early and staying up late”.

And, if you wonder how college-going kids can afford all this coffee, well, Nescafé has introduced a Rs 10 premix sachet of coffee, milk and sugar. All you need is just hot water.

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