Why Nescafe Delivered a Heartfelt Tribute to Reused Coffee Jars
In 2022, Nescafe and Courage announced their partnership by launching a global ad that took viewers around the globe - showcasing how the world says coffee.
Continuing this trend, the pair once again embraced the fact that over 5,500 cups of Nescafe are enjoyed every single second - around the world - and focused on how people across every country reuse and find new purposes for their Nescafe coffee jars. Beautifully poignant and shot by Spy Films director Omri Cohen, the spot captures real and genuine moments, from a nonna in her kitchen using the jar to store pasta to a Dios Los Muertos altar, where the jar is used as a candle holder. Finishing with a reminder that ‘Every empty jar is full of possibilities’, this sentiment was further reinforced by the campaign’s inclusion of social ads that serve as simple instructions on how to remove Nescafe labels, and a website that lets people create and print off new labels.
LBB’s Josh Neufeldt sat down with Courage founder and CCO Dhaval Bhatt to discuss how this heartfelt campaign came to life.
LBB> This work represents the continued partnership of Courage and Nescafe. As such, what was the brief, and what immediate ideas came to mind?
Dhaval> Our partnership with Nescafe is really special. The amount of trust in that relationship, on both sides, is truly refreshing, and the work is a direct result of that.
This work was born from the same brief - aiming to unlock the latent power of the Nescafe brand in Canada. For this chapter, we tried to tell a story that puts the consumer and the product at the centre of a simple, sustainable action.
LBB> Why was it important to celebrate empty jar stories and utilise this phenomenon within the campaign?
Dhaval> That was one of the most fun parts of the job. As I often joke, no Nescafe jar that entered the Bhatt household ever left. So, there was plenty of inspiration from my mom’s pantry. But once we got going, it turned out everyone had a different story of how the jar was used in their house. And that’s what makes this idea so relatable - everyone sees themselves in it. One of my favourite scenes from the ad is the Dios Los Muertos altar scene from Mexico. That came from one of the stylists on the production.
LBB> Once again, this campaign saw you shoot around the world. Where did you shoot, how did you select ideal locations, and was this experience easier than the first time you did it?
Dhaval> We actually shot this at the same time as the ‘How the world says coffee’ ad (also for Nescafe). So, this too was shot in Mexico, India, Thailand, Italy and Canada. We went in with a semi-documentary approach for this one, where we had planned scenes we wanted to get, but also left it open to discover interesting moments that came up organically through our travels and interactions; again, something that only happens when there’s a certain level of trust between agency and client.
LBB> In the same vein, Spy Films’ Omri Cohen also returned to direct. Why was he the perfect person to bring this spot to life?
Dhaval> Well, I think the film speaks for itself. Omri is truly one of the kindest souls there is, and he has a great way of just letting life happen in front of the camera. On paper, this seems like such a simple ad. They’re essentially just moving stills. But, it’s this kind of idea that’s a complete bust in the wrong hands.
LBB> How did you go about finding the right people to film? Did you cast ahead of time, or did you seek people in each location who wanted to be involved?
Dhaval> It was definitely a combination. Because we were shooting in so many countries, we couldn’t just cast or do location scouting at the same time, and have one neat little pre-pro meeting. We had to do the process again and again in every country we went to. I feel like we had six pre-pros on this job.
LBB> In particular, the shot of the child with the dragonfly is very memorable - please tell us about that scene, as well as the writing process!
Dhaval> Again, it was one of those really spontaneous ideas that just happened. A few of us had memories of doing that as kids, and we really liked that scene cinematically. But later, we found out that the dragonfly has some pretty positive associations with prosperity in many Asian cultures, which, globally, also happens to be one of the bigger markets for Nescafe.
LBB> The music is also gorgeous! Who did you work with on this element, and how did you end up with the track you did?
Dhaval> The music was directed by Ted Rosnick of Vapor Music, who’s a close friend and collaborator. Fun fact: it was the first track we listened to, and we didn’t change one single note. That never happens. Never, ever. It truly was the perfect score!
LBB> The ‘Every empty jar is full of possibilities’ line is a perfect closer. What went into the conception of this? Was it something you instantly knew you wanted to use, or were there other ideas in consideration?
Dhaval> The funny thing about end lines is, sometimes you have them right out of the gate, and sometimes it takes hundreds before you get to the one. This one was the latter, and I'm so glad we pushed through to get to it. We had lines that we liked but legal didn’t, lines that legal wrote that we didn’t like, and so on. Usually, that’s what leads to a bad line that feels compromised. But in this case, it actually pushed us to the best articulation of the thought.
LBB> How many Nescafe jars were used in the making of this spot?
Dhaval> Five oversized suitcases full. Our client and producer still have nightmares about those suitcases.
LBB> Do you have any stories or anecdotes from the shooting and travels?
Dhaval> One story that really sticks out is dealing with the traffic in Mumbai during the Mount Mary festival. Your readers in India will appreciate this! As someone who grew up there, I always knew to avoid that part of town during the three days of the festival in Bandra. But, the only way to get to our hotel was right through it. Let’s just say, being stuck in a car for three hours to travel a distance that should have taken 10 minutes (we couldn’t walk because it was pouring rain and there were literally a million people there), really allows you to see everyone’s unfiltered personality.
LBB> The campaign’s inclusion of social ads featuring simple instructions on how to peel off the labels, and a website that lets people create and print off new labels are super cool. Please tell us more about their development!
Dhaval> We wanted to make sure that we didn’t just make a piece of film and leave it at that. We wanted to make sure that we also created simple tools and guides for people to continue reusing the Nescafe jars. So, we created social and online assets that helped and encouraged people with tips on how to easily get off the labels, etc. It’s pretty crazy when you consider that Nescafe put up a ‘how to’ for taking the Nescafe label off their jars… On their corporate website.
LBB> How have people reacted to this campaign?
Dhaval> Honestly, the reaction has truly been amazing. We knew we had something special, but we didn’t anticipate it resonating with people all over the world, the way it has. There’s something about it that makes someone in the Middle East feel the same ownership of this behaviour of refusing the coffee jars as someone in North America, or Asia, or Europe. I always preach the gospel of universal human truths, and the success of this campaign is a prime example of why.
