HONG KONG: Nescafe has launched a virtual coffee shop online for
Hong Kong coffee drinkers as it takes aim at competitors like
Starbucks.
With only a product store in Hong Kong, Nescafe realised it needed to
mount a more aggressive campaign to compete against Starbucks and other
coffee chains.
The US chain plans to open 22 branches in Hong Kong by year end, while
home-grown operator Pacific Coffee has more than 20 outlets in the
city.
Interactive Dentsu Hong Kong created the virtual cafe campaign for
Nescafe.
The agency's director, Agnes Chan, said: "Unlike Starbucks or Pacific
Coffee, you won't find any Nescafe coffee shop in Hong Kong. Teens make
up most of Nescafe's consumer base so the coffee brand decided the ideal
way to reach young consumers would be through the internet. The web
really gives the company a chance to effectively brand itself."
She said that Hong Kong was developing a dynamic coffee culture because
young people were attracted to the trendy lifestyle associated with
coffee drinking.
Coffee, she added, was a small part of the coffee culture
experience.
"Selling coffee today is not only about the cup of coffee, but also
about surrounding factors, such as the spiritual and fun element of
drinking coffee - which ties in with the new proposition slogan for
Nescafe - One thing leads to another."
Nescafe has also launched an online campaign to attract users to the
site. The objective of the campaign is to drive traffic to the new
website.
"We're using everything but banners, including floating icons,
extendible icons, threads and so on," Chan said.
The website offers information on coffee and its production, a chat
room, a magazine and newspaper reading room, as well as an
e-conversation section which lets Nescafe interact with customers on a
first-name basis.
"There's also a games section, a music room, featuring the latest music
from selected music networks, and even a what's hot section where people
can check out trends and events," Chan added.
Nescafe proprietor and Nestle Hong Kong director, Ernst Portmann, said
the move was an effort to build on a real cafe culture. "We believe in
giving the people of Hong Kong the real cafe culture, no matter where
they are, with our good quality coffees, our Quarry Bay Cafe Nescafe and
now our virtual Cafe Nescafe in every internet home or office," Portmann
added.
Starbucks Coffee, which has a comprehensive US site, has registered the
starbucks.com.hk URL. The website is presently under construction.
A spokeswoman for Pacific Coffee said the company was in the process of
designing its website. "We're working on the plan of our website at the
moment, but there is a lot of information to deal with. Also we have
been rather busy with the opening of new outlets."
