Coffee at the working place : a different target, a different branding strategy

We seen before that both Lavazza and Nespresso play on senses and emotions when targeting their usual consumers. However this emotional branding strategy is changing when these two brands attempt to reach BtoB market (to sell machines and coffee pads to companies).

Indeed coffee (outside of work) is associated with coolness, going to a cosy bar in the city, but above all having a good time at home after lunch. Indeed the initial idea of Nespresso was to give the opportunity to consumers to have at home an expresso of the same quality of the ones that are delivered in restaurant or specialized places.

Coffee at the work is thus linked with very different ideas in consumers' mind. It is not about taking its time, enjoying a peaceful moment at home, but more about having a small break, little chat with colleagues in a stressful environment. We see well that the nonchalance of Georges Clooney in Nespresso ads is not really compatible with the common associated ideas of the workplace.

We are now going to see how do these brands address themselves to professionals and they are able to change their identity without loosing their premium attributes.
First of all, concerning Nespresso, it is interesting to see that they have a dedicated website for professionals (entitled "business solutions"), it is not a sub-part of their general website but a real other website.

Nespresso professionals dedicated website

The website is really simple and sober, the colors used are in line with the global visual identity of Nespresso. However we do not get that feeling of exclusiveness and classiness. The global atmosphere of the website is much more neutral. We cannot find any emotional elements usually linked to the brand (Signature: "What's else?" or Georges Clooney pictures)


It appears thus that Nespresso choose to use functional branding instead of emotional branding when targeting the professional market.

Lavazza professionals dedicated page

Concerning Lavazza even if they have not a dedicated website for professional, they instaure in their website very different ambiance according to the place where coffee is taken. In their page at work, we can see that all the codes of the working environment are used: the smart guy in a suit, standing up near the coffee machine gives an impression of dynamism and efficiency which far from the home cosiness feeling.