A recommendation-first campaign grounded in real conversations

To build product awareness and trust around NESCAFÉ Cappuccino in Hungary by leveraging peer-to-peer recommendations and real product experience in daily life contexts. The goal was not just to reach consumers – but to embed the product in genuine, relatable moments of sharing: during coffee breaks, social visits, and casual interactions among peers.

For NESCAFÉ – a category leader in instant coffee – this campaign offered an opportunity to test consumer response to the Cappuccino range and identify strategic levers for future communication and portfolio development.

Participants & Approach

We engaged 70 carefully selected nano and micro influencers – everyday coffee drinkers with active social circles and high potential to spark organic conversations offline.

Selection was based on lifestyle fit, interest in the instant coffee category, and prior brand familiarity. Participants received full-size product packs for themselves and additional sets to distribute among friends, family and colleagues – enabling direct trials and genuine feedback across multiple touchpoints.

Rather than focusing on social media content, the campaign centered on offline word-of-mouth (WOM) – with measurable ripple effects tracked across primary and secondary contact layers (G0 → G1 → G2).

Key Outcomes

Peer Recommendations
• 7,997 people reached through conversations – based on Relay Score methodology
• 900 individuals directly tried the product (average: 14 per participant)
• 100% of participants declared willingness to recommend NESCAFÉ Cappuccino

⭐ Product Feedback
• Average rating: 6.8 / 7 for NESCAFÉ Cappuccino
• Irish Cappuccino emerged as the most preferred variant (6.6 / 7)
• Purchase intent reached:
o 89% for Irish Cappuccino
o 86% for Vanilla
o 75% for Classic

🧠 Brand Learnings & Portfolio Insights
• Only 56% of participants were aware of the product before the campaign
• 45% had previously tried it – indicating strong opportunity for market expansion
• 67% considered the product fully worth the retail price
• Most valued attributes: creamy texture, foam quality, taste, ease of preparation

These insights support portfolio refinement and messaging priorities – helping the brand better position its SKUs and identify potential hero products in the category.

Summary

The campaign delivered tangible offline impact – not through media spend or digital noise, but through the power of trusted voices in everyday settings. By inviting real consumers to share real experiences, NESCAFÉ created momentum rooted in credibility, familiarity and shared pleasure.

This approach proves especially effective in categories like instant coffee, where trust and ritual play a critical role in purchase decisions.