Nestle whips up social hub for Nescafe ‘super fans’
Nestle has set up a social media hub where fans of its Nescafe brand can share actions in exchange for virtual and real rewards as part of a long-term plan to reach discerning, younger drinkers.
“The Pod” community is for Nescafe’s Dolce Gusto coffee machine with the company hoping to convince drinkers the system can be at the heart of social occasions just as well as coffee shops. Single-serve coffee pod sales have flagged lately due to copycat products, particularly across Europe, where machines are no longer seen as a luxury.
The UK and Ireland-focused Facebook platform, developed by social media agency Jam, is what Nestle describes as a “mash up between grabbing a cup of coffee with your friends, a members-only coffee house and the joys of a free goodie bag”.
Fans complete various challenges to earn stamps for a virtual card that redeems exclusive prizes and gifts for friends. Challenges range from uploading a photo to giving opinions on the brand. Stamps cannot be shared but completed tasks can be.
Laura Muirhead, brand manager for Nescafe Dolce Gusto, says: “The objective of the Pod is to drive advocacy of the Nescafe Dolce Gusto brand via our super fans. Our aim is to build the content and engage with our fans to share it across their networks, spreading the word for Nescafe Dolce Gusto and ultimately driving brand awareness and sales.”
The social push comes as Nescafe launches the “REDvolution” marketing strategy; a modernisation of the Nescafe brand worldwide detailed last month (17 June) in response to weak sales. Nestle’s sales growth slowed to 4.2 per cent, missing a target of between 5 and 6 per cent in its latest quarter. Coffee accounts for a third of the company’s global revenue but slowing emerging market sales combined with weak demand in America has highlighted the need for more radical initiatives to kickstart demand.
Nescafe plans are underway to launch a social alarm clock that provides a personalised wake-up call as well additional investment to expand its Facebook presence.
