Nespresso Artfully Serves Up Support for Underserved Communities
October 5, 2022
by Leslie Blount
The brand’s ERGs are the driving force behind its ongoing initiative
Nespresso is giving the adage “Put your money where your mouth is” a new twist for a worthy cause.
The coffee maker partnered with social impact creative agency Accompany Creative to launch “The Things We Hold,” an ongoing purpose-driven campaign spearheaded in part by the brand’s employee resource groups (ERGs), which spotlight non-profits serving marginalized communities. As part of the campaign, the teams select and commission local artists to design limited-edition coffee mugs and saucers inspired by the non-profits, which are then sold exclusively through the brand’s site and 47 U.S. retail locations. For the campaign’s second iteration, which launched Sept. 15, the brand’s Black @ Nespresso ERG selected Thrive Scholars, a non-profit that “helps high-achieving, low income, underrepresented students get into and graduate from top colleges.”
According to its website, the organization—which was founded 20 years ago in South Central Los Angeles before recently relocating to Boston—supports Black, Latinx, Indigenous and other “scholars of color” with scholarships, academic intervention, academic and social emotional support, career guidance and networking. It helped an impressive 90% of mostly first-generation students under the program attend and graduate from top colleges within six years of enrollment.
In a nod to Thrive Scholar’s South Central roots, Accompany Creative tapped artist and LA native Kenesha Sneed, whose previous clients include Apple, Microsoft, Warby Parker and Google, to create the artwork for the products. “After an extensive artist search, we all fell in love with Kenesha’s work and perspective,” Jason Keehn, founder of Accompany Creative, told Adweek. “She is an award-winning multi-disciplinary artist and Creative Director whose work speaks to empowerment and the Black female experience. We also felt that the balance of purposeful color and form she uses would translate well onto a beautiful coffee mug.”
The mugs (with matching saucers) retail individually for $24 and $65 for a set of all three designs. For every mug in the collection sold, Nespresso has already donated $24 to Thrive Scholars, an amount totaling $500,000. “The challenge for us creatively was striking the balance of launching a beautifully designed cup that the customer wants simply for its aesthetics, but also making sure to convey what it stands for,” Keehn added. “It’s about keeping the expression sophisticated and not feel like a promotional item, even though it’s trying to convey important values.”
Engaging with communities
For the campaign’s inaugural launch in March of this year, Nespresso Pride, the brand’s LGBTQ+ ERG, collaborated with New York’s Ali Forney Center, a community center that provides housing and services for homeless LGBTQ+ youth. New York-based artist Justin Teodoro designed the mugs, which Keehn says sold out faster than projected because of high social engagement and “galvanized employees.”
The campaign—which also features Thrive Scholar alumni and members of Black @ Nespresso—is currently running across all of Nespresso’s social channels on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. Signage and merchandising are prominently displayed throughout the brand’s U.S. boutiques, with full exterior façade takeovers of the windows in its flagship stores in New York, Miami, San Francisco and LA. Associates in the stores will also be wearing lapel pins featuring Sneed’s artwork to raise awareness of the initiative and offer as giveaways to customers.
“’The Things We Hold’ is a direct reflection of the values shared among our Nespresso employees, our brand and our communities,” said Alfonso Gonzalez Loeschen, CEO of Nespresso North America.
“Our employees are at the forefront of the initiative, from helping to identify meaningful nonprofits, to finding ways to create a lasting positive impact. From the original concept through to campaign execution, and even in direct volunteering and engagement with the non-profits—the central role of our people is what makes this so special and authentic,” he continued. “We’re proud to use our platform to help make a difference in the communities where we live and work. These collaborations with The Ali Forney Center and Thrive Scholars mark an ongoing initiative that we’re looking forward to continuing in 2023.”