Back in 1987, Nestlé released their famous ‘Nescafé Gold Blend’ TV ad campaign, keeping viewers on the edge of their seats with a ‘will they won’t they’ romantic storyline. The ad (which ran from 1987 to 1992) was voted as the ‘most romantic of all time’ in a poll of over 2000 people conducted by the website UTalkMarketing. The ad series proved to be so popular that 30 million people tuned in to watch the couples first kiss!
Fast-forward to 2010, and Nestlé made the strategic decision to release a contemporary remake of the ad, as part of a £5 million campaign for Gold Blend. The advert (created by McCann Erikson) was first aired in May, and was one element of a through-the-line campaign which ran across TV, cinema, online, and PR.
Katy Hildich, marketing head of Nescafé stated that “It’s bringing the talkability factor back to the brand. The couple are quite young and funky, because we are reaching out to younger people who don’t remember the ads from the 80s.”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyhks7Qu5A0]
However, just 5 short months after its release, Nestlé are reviewing the future of the ‘Golden Blend couple’. Nestlé have stated a need to ‘inject new life’ into their TV marketing and have turned to marketing agencies such as ‘incumbent’ to provide a new strategic angle. Looks like it could be the end of the line for this whirlwind romance – better get the tissues out.
Greg Brooks is a Digital Marketing Executive at Happy Creative, a full service marketing agency based in Blackpool, Lancashire. To learn more or contact us please go to www.happy-creative.co.uk
