Nescafe: FRESHLY BREWED COMEDY

Credits & Description:

Category: Best Use of Branded Content

Advertiser: NESTLÉ

Product/Service: NESCAFÉ COFFEE

Date of First Appearance: Jan 18 2010 12:00AM

Entrant Company: MINDSHARE, Shanghai, CHINA

Entry URL: http://cameracafe.youku.com

Partner, Invention Content: Fer Wang (Mindshare)

Partner, Invention: Mateo Eaton (Mindshare)

Partner, Invention Digital: Ben Buxton (Mindshare)

Client Leader: Amrita Randhawa (Mindshare)

Managing Director: Asmita Dubey (Mindshare)

Project Manager, Invention Content: Zach Qu (Mindshare)

Manager, Invention Digital: Laetitia Deng (Mindshare)

Media placement: Online Campaign - 60 Branded Content Videos plus Minisite - Youku.com - January 18, 2010



Results and Effectiveness

The scope of this original online show was unprecedented in China and white collars loved the show for how well it related to them:
• 10,000,000 video views
• 115,000 SNS fans
• Hundreds of conversations on BBS forums that earned 200,000+ page views
The show also achieved significant impact on consumer habits among target groups, building loyalty among frequent drinkers and recruiting new users with positive sales impact.
• Brand favorability plus-12% (frequent drinkers)
• Purchase intention plus-8% (light drinkers)
• Frequency was also highly effective, with purchase intent jumping 300% among netizens who watched 4 or more episodes.



Creative Execution

We found the perfect format in Camera Café, the internationally renowned French comedy. We spent months adapting the show for Chinese audiences, creating new, aspirational characters as well as writing scripts that reflected modern Chinese office life. Rather than airing it on TV, we shot the 5 minute episodes exclusively for online broadcast, the perfect accompaniment for a coffee break.

We launched Camera Café on Youku.com, China’s leading video sharing site with a special minisite and channel. 60 total episodes aired over 3 months, all of them featuring a permanent office coffee station piled high with NESCAFÉ, while 15 episodes had plots inspired by different NESCAFÉ products. Strategic media placements drove traffic to the videos, while funny polls about common office complaints and gossip provided interactivity.

Viewers could get even more involved by becoming fans on SNS site Kaixin001 and participate in chats with the cast and read their blogs.



Insights, Strategy & the Idea

NESCAFÉ is the champion coffee brand in China with 100% brand awareness in top cities and over 75% market share nationwide. But the coffee category in China is small, with only 45% penetration and coffee consumption per capita is just 3 cups per year. Without competitors investing to build the category, NESCAFÉ China faces the challenge of cultivating coffee culture on its own.

Current coffee drinkers are mostly higher income, higher education white collars, while potential drinkers are university students. So creating a communication platform to influence consumption behavior of both groups has been difficult

Syndicated research helped us find a commonality: work. Frequent drinkers are career-oriented, while potential drinkers are curious about working life. Both groups are also heavy online users.
So NESCAFÉ responded to their interests and habits by creating an online office comedy designed to leave viewers refreshed and re-energised, just like a cup of NESCAFÉ coffee.