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.
Nescafe has created a Facebook hub to appeal to younger, discerning 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.
