The coffee business has long depended on the morning ritual — the bleary shuffle to the kitchen, the meditative wait for the machine to do its work. Now Nespresso, the Nestlé-owned pod coffee brand, is betting that the ritual extends to people who are already wearing sneakers when they reach for their cup.
Nespresso and Strava, the fitness tracking platform that has become something of a social network for the spandex set, announced a partnership on Thursday during Advertising Week New York. The timing was not accidental: the Bank of America Chicago Marathon takes place on Sunday, and the TCS New York City Marathon follows next month.
"On race day, runners might need coffee to wake up — it's a big day," said Jessica Padula, Nespresso USA's vice president of marketing and head of sustainability. "But this is about runners' rituals and Nespresso wanting to be associated with those active mornings and routines."
The partnership, which will officially begin next week, will offer rewards to Strava users who commit to personal wellness rituals throughout the campaign, Ms. Padula said. The prizes were not disclosed. (The announcement of prizes that are "to be announced" has itself become something of an advertising ritual.)
Strava claims 200 million monthly users who share their running distances and other fitness achievements on the platform. Jen Starr, director of Strava for business in North America, said the partnership would help "democratize" fitness for "all kinds of athletes."
Ms. Padula acknowledged that the connection between coffee and running might not be immediately obvious. "On the face of it, people might have an immediate reaction of, 'why running and coffee?'" she said. She also noted that Nespresso had considered starting a branded running club but decided against it — a rare instance of a marketer resisting the urge to put its name on an activity rather than simply adjacent to one.
The campaign is also aimed at Gen Z consumers, who Ms. Padula said view coffee as an "accessory" and "ingredient of a beverage" rather than something you drink for the caffeine. She added that coffee consumption has declined with each generation since the 1950s.
Whether a fitness app partnership will reverse seventy years of demographic drift remains, as they say, to be seen.
Original story published in campaignlive.com: "Nespresso and Strava partner ahead of NYC Marathon | Campaign US"