The best brand in the world is....

... cue drum roll please.

I can now reveal the best brand in the world, based on the criteria from last week's post

And the winner is....

NESPRESSO

I already loved this brand, having blogged on it a couple of times. And recently I went to brand heaven when I got  the chance to work on it. There is so much to write about that this will be in 2 parts.

 1. Great product/sausage: At the heart of Nespresso is a fantastic product experience. The coffee is sold in beautiful little capsules, with different colours for different tastes. You buy one of a range of machines, which in themselves are design objects.

A huge amount of research went into creating the system, and in particular delivering the "crema" topping you get on a real espresso. Now, get this. Nestle researchers first designed the capsule in 1970. And the brand was launched in.... 1986. So, 16 years of research and development.

The company is incredibly selective in the coffee it uses, effectively selecting beans from the best 1% of the worldwide crop.

2. Fab emotion/sizzle: Nespresso delivers lovely coffee. But boy does it score well on the sizzle-ometer. It starts with the design of the product itself: a range of 16 "grands crus" coffees in different coloured capsules.

In addition, the brand has created emotional sizzle through an impactful and consistently executed communication campaign starring George Clooney. We blogged on this back in 2008 here. This is very distinctive and stands out. Clooney has become a real brand property, quite an achievement given that he does ads for several brands. Nepresso have succeded by excellence of execution, being consistent over time and because the endorsement is credible. You do believe he is the sort of guy who would drink Nespresso.

The brand also does superb TV communication. The latest is a little movie masterpiece, starring George and John Malkovich. The casting, direction, and aesthetic are excellent. But what is also worth noting is that the product is the star of the story. It shows that lifestyle advertising doesn't have to be all image and no substance. Click below to watch the ad if you're on the site.

You can also go on the Nespresso website and see different endings to the advert, which is a really nice touch. 

3. Customer experience: here is where Nespresso is up there with the best. It has a network of 200 boutiques which do a fanastic job of building desire and brand image, but also sell a hell of a lot of coffee. And from personal experience, the coffee experts who work there are extremely well trained, and know their stuff. Worth visiting one to taste the coffee, but also if you're interested in retailing concepts.

4. Excellence in execution: Nespresso has a smart strategy. But it also a fanatical attention to detail when it comes to execution. Every bit of the mix is indeed crafted with love and attention, from the capsules, to the boutiques, to the website, to the advertising to the brand magazine.

And even the reception at head office. Many companies claim to be passionate about their product. And then at head office all you see is a few crappy product samples in a display cabinet. Or, nothing at all. Well, when I went to Nespresso head office in Laussane, Switzerland I was blown away. There is a proper boutique, including a full range of coffees, machines and a coffee bar where you can taste coffees, and pair them with the range of chocolates Nespresso also sells.

 

Already a pretty impressive story. The next post will have part 2 on why I think its the best brand in the world.

Comments

[Roger Visser]

hello david,

I have a question about Nespresso..
It is related to Nestlé, but what kind of brand is it? (somthing like single branded or (semi) monolithic)?

greets rogier

[Michael]

According to Interbrand the most valuable brand (a proxy for best, I guess) is Coca-Cola. According to the leaderboard at www.BrandMojo.org, the most loved brand (a proxy for best, I guess as well) is Google. www.brandtags.net would have its own too.

[David Taylor (brandgym)]

Thanks for the comment Ken. Glad you're surprised! Part of the idea was to propose a brand that is not one of the "usual suspects".

Coke and Guinness don't come close on the customer experience side, and they don't have the membership side. They are slaves to the retailer.

Facebook doesn't have a proven business model, never mind 10 years of amazing profit

Nike and Apple are fair contenders.Though I still think Nespresso beats em. This from an Apple-aholic!

Ref sausage: the combination of amazing coffee AND convenience means that Nespresso has a real point of difference vs. Roast and Ground

David

[Ken Riise]

Really? The best brand in the world? Stand down Apple, facebook, Coke, Guinness, Nike?

And for a blog that's all about product 'sausage', isn't Nespresso always going to come a poor second to freshly ground coffee?

I'm not being sarcastic - I'm just really surprised at your choice