Nestlé has entrusted IAKI with the design of a word of mouth solution for Nescafé Golosi, the three tasty instant coffee drinks that have recently made their debut on the Italian market. Nicoletta Caluzzi, President of IAKI, tells us about the initiative.
What were the goals of Nescafé with this word of mouth project?
Nescafé asked IAKI to develop a strategy to raise awareness of Nescafé Golosi among an audience that was already familiar with the brand but not with the full range of products available. The aim was to overcome the hesitation to try new products and encourage consumers to voluntarily talk about the Golosi drinks with their friends and acquaintances.
How did the word of mouth strategy develop?
The aim of the word of mouth strategy was to highlight the features of each Nescafe Golosi product and arouse the consumers’ desire to discover the entire range for themselves. The project focussed on exploiting existing brand awareness among consumers, even though they may not have been familiar with the whole range available. We started by encouraging customers to taste the new product, after which a natural process of word of mouth set in, followed by purchases.
Could you describe the project in greater depth
We started out by assuming that the Nescafe Golosi products are appreciated by the majority of those who taste them, and therefore that those who are already familiar with the product and consume it, acknowledge its quality. The crucial point was how to encourage people to taste it when they had never tried it before. This gave rise to the idea of a Culinary Workshop, an initiative supported by Tupperware, which lead to setting up Nescafe Golosi trials directly in consumers’ homes. We chose a target audience of women between the ages of 30 and 55: housewives, wives, mothers who devote much of their time to the family, or women who have jobs that leave considerable free time.
How does a Culinary Workshop take place?
The event takes place in the home and involves a culinary consultant, the home owner and an average of 5/6 guests. It lasts about 2 hours overall, and consists in presenting the products by preparing a recipe. It is basically a time to meet and exchange experiences and cooking ideas, during which a recipe is prepared and the participants are invited to taste one of the new Nescafe Golosi products. The experience is further enhanced by distributing discount coupons for the purchase of products from supermarkets.
How did this then trigger the process of word of mouth?
Word of mouth is a natural process that is triggered whenever there is something interesting to talk about. People always like to “talk”, it is human nature, which is why a product, when it has been appreciated, spontaneously generates conversations and positive opinions. In this case too, word of mouth was triggered by a real appreciation of the product: the tasting experience fuelled an existing brand awareness, with the natural consequence of talking about it among themselves and with friends and acquaintances. The Nescafé Golosi word of mouth project is based precisely on this, on the reasons that voluntarily drive people to engage, and the desire to recommend a really good product to their friends; one that they were the first to find out about, and are proud to promote.