Nescafe: Play Button

‘It all starts with a Nescafé’ is used to express the brand’s purpose in China and is understood to mean that Nescafe is the trigger for good things to happen. As the brand competes against a variety of local coffee brands, as well as China’s preference for tea, it was important for Nescafé to reinforce this unique messaging.   At the same time, Nescafé wanted to run pre-rolls; a media buy in China that’s disliked by more than 9 out of 10, as, in this market, they’re non-skippable and long-form, either 45 or 60 seconds. Nescafé decided to buy the long-form pre-roll, but replace it with a 5-second ad, which was simply a play button within the iconic Nescafé red cup, leading viewers — on Youku, China’s YouTube—directly to what they wanted to view, with only the message ‘it all starts with a Nescafé.’   Instead of interrupting the experience, Nescafé facilitated the experience. And as the buy included over 3000 ‘play buttons’ between 7am-9am, it really did all start with a Nescafé.