High Times for Dutch Coffee Brand Moyee with Cannabis Experiment

Today sees the launch of the new ‘Under the Influence’ campaign from Amsterdam-based coffee brand Moyee. Moyee is a coffee company with a radical social vision. Since it was founded in 2013, Moyee has unveiled provocative campaigns designed to raise awareness around its FairChain philosophy.

The bold campaign, conceived by creative agency 180 Amsterdam, has a simple premise: take a broad spectrum of Amsterdam’s cannabis smokers, invite them to taste-test Moyee coffee, and, while under the influence, document their eloquent and surprising responses.

The result is a two-minute film, appropriately titled ‘Under the Influence’, which includes a glamorous older woman stating: “I equate coffee drinking with sex. And a horse.” and a young ‘hipster’ man, describing Moyee coffee as, “Round. Not triangular. But definitely wavy.” The film was shot in an interview style, using real people, by 180 Amsterdam, who is working with Moyee to build its FairChain brand through radical and provocative activations.

The strategy behind the campaign was to create something uniquely Dutch and provocative, that demonstrated the great taste of Moyee and its ideological agenda, whilst avoiding the usual clichés that surround taste tests. With over 150 legal ‘coffee shops’ in Amsterdam, the agency and brand agreed that it was a great opportunity to utilise the powerful effects of cannabis as a way to celebrate great tasting coffee. And a good way to put Amsterdam on the map for its coffee – not just its cannabis.

Moyee Coffee founder Guido van Staveren van Dijk comments: “Our campaigns always play into a relevant topic. Cannabis may be tolerated in Holland, but it remains a sensitive topic here. You could even say that, by legalising cannabis, Colorado and Oregon have out-liberalised Holland. ‘Under the Influence’ is our playful way of tapping into the public debate.”

Al Moseley, President and Chief Creative Officer of 180 Amsterdam, adds: “Studies suggest that your sense of smell and taste are heightened when under the influence of cannabis.  We put this theory to the test and found the results were compelling. It’s a more radical take on the taste test for a brand that isn't scared to create debate.”