Galactic campaign: How two aliens are fueling Nestlé's creative mission

When the lights are dimmed in Paris and the audience is drawn into an alien galaxy, it becomes clear that this launch is serious. "Welcome to the Neoverse" is more than just a claim for the event, it is the runway for a new way of staging coffee - with two aliens in the leading role and the promise of "probably the best coffee in the galaxy". m&k was on site, spoke to Melanie Brinbaum, CMO Nestlé Europe, and Guillaume Savoy, Head of Coffee Brands Switzerland, and captured their insights and the atmosphere on site in a varied video.

Landing in the Neoverse: Paris as a launch pad

The venue could hardly be more symbolic: the Espace Niemeyer in Paris, both an architectural icon and a space for reflection. Under the motto "The most unexpected event in the Galaxy!", Nestlé opened a portal into its coffee world there for two days. The story: two extraterrestrials have discovered the coffee of the future and are now inviting people to celebrate on Earth.

Inside, show, performance and product staging merge into an immersive experience. A specially composed "Dreamtrack" by musician Mosimann, choreographies, the presenter Samuel Etienne, freestyler Salif Crookboyz, mentalist Charlie Haid - and again and again the aliens, who lead through the evening like hosts. After the show, guests head to the basement to test machines, pose with Miss Universe Guadeloupe and enjoy the catering. Paris becomes the arrival hall of a brand that is preparing not only to sell its coffee, but also to give it a cultural charge.

Creative Pulse: When a company switches to creative mode

There is a clear strategic picture behind this spectacle. Melanie Brinbaum openly describes how creativity was "a bit lost" in the company for a while. With the "Creative Pulse" program, Nestlé wants to change exactly that - and not just at campaign level, but as a cultural issue.

The initial situation is paradoxical: Nestlé is the global leader in the coffee market, but in the cultural conversation around coffee, the company did not see itself at the top. So creativity becomes a management task. Studies that prove that strong creative ideas are more deeply anchored in the memory and hearts of consumers provide the arguments. The direction is clear: by 2030, Nestlé wants to be positioned in such a way that awards such as the "Cannes Lions Creative Marketer of The Year" become realistic - but above all that creativity as a value within the company becomes significantly more important.

This cultural change also includes more commitment. Nestlé is investing around 40 percent more in media for Dolce Gusto this year than in the previous year, signaling that creative ambitions are backed up with serious budgets. At the same time, co-creation is becoming the new standard: instead of just working with the agency in a quiet room, celebrities, influencers and creators are involved at an early stage. The idea for the event setup and its amplification came from France - an example of how a global company is consciously bringing local creativity to the fore.

NEO as a big bet: How much future there is in a machine

In this context, NEO by Nescafé Dolce Gusto is more than just a new system in an already crowded coffee market. The Group describes NEO as a "big bet", one of its global strategic priorities. Guillaume Savoy, responsible for the coffee category in Switzerland, sees the Paris evening as a coherent condensation of what Dolce Gusto stands for: playful provocation, the courage to try the unexpected, a brand that is elastic enough to keep conquering new territories - today with aliens. It is precisely this elasticity that makes it possible to tell different stories without losing the soul of the brand.

The bet has also proved solid commercially so far: since the launch of NEO in fall 2023, the system has developed dynamically, with twice as many machines sold in Switzerland in 2025 as in the previous year. Savoy emphasizes that NEO exemplifies Nestlé's three major competencies: a deep understanding of consumer expectations in terms of quality and individualization, a strong R&D base in Switzerland and marketing that is willing to visibly invest in creativity.

Guillaume Savoy, Nestlé Coffee Brands Switzerland

Two aliens, one claim: "Probably the best coffee in the galaxy"

The centerpiece of the new appearance is the campaign, developed by the Parisian agency Marcel. The story is deliberately simple and universal: two aliens are stranded on Earth, looking for tools for their UFO - and stumble across the NEO system. One push of a button later, they realize that this coffee is "probably the best coffee in the galaxy". The question of whether they stay on this planet suddenly depends on the contents of the cup.

Nestlé is deliberately breaking with the usual narrative patterns in the coffee market, in which many brands cultivate similar tonalities. The machine is "like no other", says Melanie Brinbaum, and it is precisely this special feature that the campaign aims to reflect: bold, humorous, slightly quirky, but always connectable.

Familiar voices are used for cultural anchoring. In German-speaking Switzerland, the two aliens are voiced by David Constantin and Cedric Schild, the faces of the SRF series "Tschugger". In French-speaking Switzerland, Antoine de Caunes and Olivier Rosemberg lend their voices to the characters. This gives the galaxy a clear local accent on both sides of the Röstigraben.

Technology, sustainability and connectivity - the learning curve behind the show

Backstage, NEO shows how product innovation, sustainability and data should work together. The machine bundles Nestlé's R&D expertise in a platform that combines different brewing methods in one system and is controlled via pods and software. The home-compostable capsules and the use of recycled materials send out a clear signal: Sustainability is now mandatory, but remains a flanking factor - the purchasing decision continues to revolve around quality, choice and versatility in the cup.

It is exciting to look at connectivity: many devices are online and are actually used for personalization - from temperature and cup size to services such as troubleshooting or automatic loyalty programs. NEO is thus becoming a learning platform on which Nestlé is observing the extent to which consumers are prepared to embrace a networked coffee experience.

Message to agencies: "Please disagree"

In Paris, Nestlé is not only sending signals to consumers, but also to the agency landscape. Melanie Brinbaum puts it bluntly: Nestlé expects agencies to disagree if briefings are not strategic enough or miss the cultural conversation. What is needed are partners who have the courage to challenge a global company - and an internal culture that is prepared to be challenged.

The path to becoming "Cannes Lions Creative Marketer of The Year" is therefore seen as a long-haul flight, not a one-shot campaign. NEO acts as a testing ground: for co-creation with creators and celebrities, for bold tonalities, for networked products that bring data and experience together.

At the end of this evening at Neoverse, what remains is the image of a brand that is questioning its creative past and consciously orienting its future towards a new, bolder creative culture. Two aliens, a machine and a claim are enough to show how a company is trying to build a new gravitational field for its brand from technology, creative culture and a willingness to invest.

CREDITS

Creative agency: Marcel Groupe Publicis

Production agency: Prodigious Publicis Group

Director: Max SHERMAN

Director of Photography: Mathieu PLAINFOSSÉ

Tabletop Director of Photography: François STARR

First Assistant Director: José FERREIRA

Photographer: Cyrille ROBIN

Costumes: Pascal MOLINA