Penguins of Café Royal: lazy marketers steal Nespresso’s positioning
Have you already seen him, Robbie Williams as the new face of Nespresso? Only later do you realize that it’s not about Nespresso but about Café Royal. The brand basically hijacks the entire positioning of Nespresso and hides it behind a light caricature that at least doesn’t fool us. The blatant imitation of Nespresso makes Café Royal our Penguin of the Month.
Merkelijkheid stands for remarkable brands. Brands that know how to distinguish themselves with a unique positioning: their own remarkable story. Brands that don’t want to be a penguin, a swimming bird that can’t fly, look identical and show extreme herd behavior. The penguin is, also for brands, an example of how not to be. The Penguin of the Month is reserved for the brand that behaves most like a penguin.
That Café Royal will take this honor will not surprise you, but what do we see when we look at this brand?
A tough man in a penguin outfit surrounded by stunning women who want something from him. What do they want from him; his cup of espresso or something more..? We see a minimalist corporate identity in which the color black dominates and colorful capsules.
Positioning Nespresso and Café Royal almost identical
The marketers of Café Royal undoubtedly thought: “if you can’t beat them, join them”. With a humorous twist, they try to give the brand some originality but in our opinion far too little. ‘Bad boy’ Robbie Williams is a different persona than the sexy, handsome George Clooney, the Café Royal marketers will say, but who are they trying to fool? In our opinion, this me-too strategy shows little creativity; that little teasing of the market leader fools no one.
At least dressed as a penguin.
Merkelijkheid gladly offers a cup of Nespresso at the office, although that has little to do with Clooney and more with convenience. We will definitely walk right past the Café Royal shelf in the supermarket.
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