Director Vaughn Arnell (repped by Palomar in the US and Godman in the UK) executes the concept of "embedded interactivity" in a series of spots for Nescafé's "One Thing Leads to Another" campaign.

Each begins at the end of the narrative and moves backward to reveal the events leading up to that moment. The message is implicit: Nescafé is the catalyst for life's infinite opportunities.

"I usually put you at the end of the story and then trace you back to the coffee, which makes the coffee more important," comments Marcio Moreira, chief creative officer at McCann-Erickson WorldGroup. "That's what I think is magical about the campaign."

The embedded interactivity approach was derived from a study illustrating that the 16-24 target is not receptive to preaching. "They want to be approached in a way that they have a say in what they are choosing," explains Moreira, "so you always communicate with them by leaving space to participate in the communication."

As each tale unfolds, the viewer participates in the narrative, interpreting events to make sense of the story. The interpretation gives way to interaction.

"Wave" is set at a soccer match in Mexico. The year is 1986. The crowd roars and rises to its feet in a wave-like motion. Cut to 30-seconds before the wave and two men are sharing a cup of Nescafé from a thermos. One spills hot coffee in his lap and leaps into the air with his hands over his head. What follows is the advent of a sporting tradition practiced in venues world over.

"Fortune" is told from the perspective of a swinger outside a Las Vegas casino. In the opening shot, he is seen winning at the "Billionaire" slot machine. As coins pour out of the machine, the narrative begins to unfold. We see the young hipster sipping coffee outside the casino. He meets a starlet who inadvertently drops the lucky coin into his Styrofoam cup. Tracing back even further, the story reveals the Nescafé purchase from a vending machine.

"Twister" follows the travails of a castaway somewhere in the South Pacific. He contorts his body to compete with aborigines in a homemade version of the board game. The story unfolds to reveal a morning cup of coffee, followed by a fated plane ride during which the fuel tank runs empty. The passenger jumps from the airplane into the ocean, where he is later met by island natives.

The most intriguing story is that of an apprentice monk titled "Lipstick." Having served coffee to his master and a woman identified only as "The visitor," the apprentice exchanges knowing glances with the woman. In the very first sequence, he is holding her lipstick-stained coffee mug to his lips.

"That's lust if I've ever seen it," chuckles Moreira. "Believe me, kids don't miss that."