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THE BEVERAGE GUIDE FROM PAGE 48 Nescafé BRANCHES OUT Nestlé has introduced the “deliciously smooth” taste of Nescafé in a can format. shoppers to the category as they over- index in driving trial while also aligning as a “convenient partner” to shoppers’ on- the-go missions (Nielsen Aus Groc/Conv MAT to 21/3/21, supplied by Nestlé). The Nescafé advantage Nescafé, says Ms Mann, believes that launching into RTD iced coffee is a “huge opportunity” to grow the segment further, claiming to be the first brand to bring existing coffee credentials to the RTD category. Ms Mann also lists noteworthy brand credentials as including: • Nescafé is the number one coffee brand in Australia, driving over $300 million in sales in 2020, growing 5.4 per cent (Nielsen Grocery Scan MAT to 6/12/20). • Nescafé is an “iconic” brand with “strong heritage” in Australia since the 1930s. • Nescafé has high awareness (>98 per cent of Australians surveyed are said to be aware of the brand) • Nescafé has high penetration (in the coffee category, half of surveyed households are claimed to buy Nescafé). In addition, Ms Mann says the brand is “uniquely positioned” compared with its competitors. “The RTD iced coffee category has traditionally been dominated by coffee-flavoured milks that ‘fill me up’,” she said, “whereas a new subcategory of real coffee in a can is forming, as 76 per cent of \\\\\\\[surveyed\\\\\\\] shoppers are looking for a RTD iced coffee to provide an ‘energy boost’ or ‘thirst quench’ \\\\\\\[Fiftyfive5 Consumer Tracker Research, 2020\\\\\\\]. Nescafé’s prior coffee credentials \\\\\\\[will\\\\\\\] bring credibility to the new segment.” Backing the beverage Nescafé’s latest launch is being supported by a “huge” above-the-line campaign to drive awareness that the brand is now available in a can. Nescafé is also utilising out-of- home and digital to drive visibility and engage with consumers. Available in a “convenient” 250ml on-the-go can, the new range allows consumers to “experience iced coffee like never before with the real taste of Nescafé”. The variants are: • Nescafé Espresso – offering a “rich, full bodied coffee hit”. • Nescafé Flat White – described as “deliciously smooth and creamy”. • Nescafé Mocha – a “bold coffee” with a “decadent” chocolate flavour. “\\\\\\\[We plan\\\\\\\] to drive appeal to a wider demographic and drive category penetration by appealing to a variety of age profiles,” Nestlé Marketing Manager Ready to Drink Lauren Mann said, adding that drinking RTD iced coffee is popular among most demographics, brands are over- indexing in targeting the youth. Iced coffee’s appeal The iced coffee category, according to Nescafé, continues to grow year on year in the convenience channel, as the number one mission in a convenience store is “to buy a drink” (Convenience Measures Australia, 2020). Adding to this finding, Nielsen data reveals that RTD iced coffee is growing at 5.4 per cent and that small-format RTDs (0-500ml) are key in driving new with RTD cans 50 CONVENIENCE WORLD MAY/JUN, 2021