Nespresso tries to convert coffee drinkers

Nespresso Canada is trying to get more Canadians to convert to its coffee through a new street-level campaign targeting caffeine-loving commuters in two major cities.

The “Spring is Brewing” campaign kicked off in Montreal recently, and will hit the streets of Toronto May 28, with Nespresso street teams on bicycles offering fresh daisies to people passing by. They’ll also receive a coupon for a free coffee at a Nespresso boutique, as part of the larger national campaign that also includes digital, television, point-of-sale, and bus shelters.

The campaign is run by Montreal-based Marketel, Nespresso Canada’s lead creative agency chosen last year to launch the high-end, single-serve coffee company’s VertuoLine machine.

“The whole idea of this promo is to get people into the store,” says Jo-Ann Munro, Marketel’s creative director.

“We still have a lot of conversion to do. There are still a lot of people who don’t know what Nespresso is,” including that the machine not only makes espresso, but also a long cup of coffee.

“There’s a tasting is believing aspect to this.”

The promotion also includes a limited-time special coffee offer for consumers that buy a Nespresso machine.

Munro said the street campaign is more grassroots, located in relative proximity to the Nespresso cafes in Montreal and Toronto.

The broader campaign objective is to promote Nespresso as a luxury coffee brand, which consumers can drink at home.

“It’s breaking the Canadian mindset that a lot of people are just happy with their double-double,” Munro said, while noting the campaign targets consumers that gravitate towards higher-end coffee chains and brands.

Nestlé Nespresso, headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, has almost 400 “boutiques worldwide,” and is expanding in Canada.

The coffee company is known for having famous actors George Clooney and Penelope Cruz as pitch people for the brand.