MEDIA-I: Nescafe gains steam with virtual opening

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