The Perfect Blend: Nespresso Earns the Benefit of Clooney Consistency

Nespresso’s relationship with actor George Clooney goes back a decade in the US – in Europe he’s been their brand ambassador even longer. It’s hard to think of a celebrity who’s been more closely and effectively linked with a brand in the last 20 years. Clooney has appeared in multiple campaigns for Nespresso which draw on his suave persona and exploit his comic acting skills while entertaining the audience with humorous situations and parodies of film and TV styles.

The brand’s latest ad, made with agency Citizen Relations, continues this tradition. As well as Clooney it stars Eva Longoria and extends its global appeal with roles for top French and South Korean actresses Camille Cottin and Kim Go Eun. The ad is a loving pastiche of classic detective movies, shot in a sepia-toned palette with Clooney as a dapper detective on board a sleeper train. An heiress has been robbed – her jewels have been spared but the thief has made off with her Nespresso capsules! ‘Detective George’ is on the case, and literally uncovers the culprit in the train kitchen, where she’s concealed the capsules under her chef’s hat. Of course, Clooney has to remove the valuable evidence himself – and the ad cuts to a behind the scenes finish where it’s Clooney who’s caught hiding Nespresso under his hat.

There’s plenty of warmth, visual jokes, and a central role for the brand in the ad, which achieves 3-Stars on Test Your Ad but excels in the short-term Spike Rating, where it gets an exceptional score. It’s also an ad with strong Brand Fluency, well above the average for the coffee category at 91%, which is proof of the strong linkage viewers have formed between Clooney and the brand.

“The Detective” is a fine example of how cultural references and a strong sense of place and time can elevate an ad and give it more right-brained resonance. The ad would be a fun piece of slapstick comedy without the setting and detective film look and feel, but with them it’s even more engaging. But it also wouldn’t be so strongly recognizable without the ten years of previous Clooney Nespresso ads.

What makes Nespresso’s campaign enduringly effective? Clooney’s presence is a constant but he doesn’t play a character Fluent Device – he usually acts as himself. He’s an example of a “Hired Device” – a celebrity with a consistent relationship with a brand who works in the same way as a Fluent Device but isn’t owned by the brand and brings some of their external reputation to the campaign. Hired Devices can have immediate appeal with a popular celebrity, but often have disadvantages too – they are ultimately outside the brand’s control.

In the case of Clooney and Nespresso, though, the partnership has been a huge success. Clooney’s relaxed, elegant persona is perfect for the brand, and the campaign has used him extremely well. It’s an example of the value of creative consistency over time – as described in our recent Compound Creativity report. Once past the initial two years, long-term investment in campaigns, brand ambassadors, ideas and agency relationships begins to yield rewards well in excess of what would be expected. Nespresso’s best decision wasn’t just to hire George Clooney, but to stick with him across a decade and counting of effective ads.