WorldGroup, whose relationship with the client dates back to 1940, orchestrated the campaign alongside Nestlé CEO Peter Brabeck. The creative was designed to further globalize the brand by appealing to a mass youth market. Nestlé's decision to act globally with one message represents a novel approach for the Swiss company both in concept and practice.

"There is a revolution out there as far as people's relationship with coffee is concerned," comments chief creative officer at McCann-Erickson WorldGroup, Marcio Moreira. "Coffee has become, in the last few years, increasingly a more relevant choice for youth."

Tagged "One Thing Leads to Another," the Nescafé campaign targets an international youth market aged 16-24 with its concept of open-ended storytelling dubbed "embedded interactivity."

Moreira explains, "When the strategist came to us he tried to describe the people we were trying to communicate to and he wrote down the following: authors of joyful possibilities. That told us in the creative group that we would not be authors of this campaign. We wanted the viewers to be at least co-authors of the idea.

"We're dealing with television and television by definition is one-way communication. But when you leave room for interpretation, you create interaction. You force the viewer to be part of the communication; to be a co-author of the communication."

The approach comes in response to a McCann study indicating that more and more young people are drinking coffee in what amounts to a lifestyle choice. Unlike traditional coffee drinkers sipping java from porcelain cups, today's consumer is more inclined to fuel up while on the go. Furthermore, this multitasker resents the hard sell, deriving value from choice.

"Nescafé could not and should not ignore this opportunity from a marketing point of view," continues Moreira. "It set out to find its own voice within that universe."

Nestlé senior vice president of Coffee and Beverages Strategic Business Unit Olle Tegstam recognized the opportunity, the need for an audible message and demand for an unconventional delivery.

"Traditionally, we are a very decentralized company," states Tegstam. Advertising initiatives tend to be implemented on a country-to-country basis. "Now and then we might say, 'Here's an initiative that we believe can be of added-value if it is done more centrally.' This specific youth-focused campaign is part of that. It's quite unusual for us to operate that way."

The decision to adopt a centralized message was based on the market research demonstrating that consumers in the 16-24 target are more similar than different.

"We did not tailor-make ads for each country," affirms Moreira. "We created a campaign that is as youthful and universal as possible. Even the expression 'One Thing Leads to Another' is found in most languages. We verified that prior to adopting it. We wanted something that had global resonance.

Four spots airing on MTV International [see sidebar] comprise the initial TV component of the multi-faceted campaign which includes print, sponsorship of MTV programming, events, and webcasts. It is the first global buy for an entire campaign on the music network and serves as a prototype for creatives at the local level.

"Ultimately we expect the countries to embrace the campaign and run with it," states Moreira. "We will continue to provide from the center, more executions to fuel that fire.

"If we had sought consensus from the entire organization, country by country, we might have ended up in a totally different place. But because the people involved were at the very top echelons of the company and of that particular brand, there was a much more streamlined decision-making process. "

The campaign hopes to address a the long-term challenge facing the coffee industry: establishing brand loyalty within the youth market. "We need to think about who is going to be our biggest consumer tomorrow. says Tegstam."

"There is this notion that companies out there that are like Nestlé are very conservative," comments Moreira. "The fact that Nestlé is a very prudent and very wise marketer in this case did not stop them from making a decision or making a choice that is very courageous. That, I think speaks to the vibrancy of that company."

Dispelling the conventional wisdom, Tegstam remarks, "We like taking risks when it comes to this kind of communication but also, if you think internally within Nestlé, with this campaign we are also encouraging the markets to take risks. The central campaign is only a small piece. We expect them to add on. It's a teaching job for our markets to show them you can open up a little bit. You can be a bit more aggressive. Trust your instincts."

Web Files:
McCann Erickson> http://www.mccann.com
Nestle> http://www.nestle.com