Nescafe believes in the power of “real connections”. And it is with this brand message that the brand competes in China, a nation of tea drinkers. Nescafe is a big name in China, but as more and more cafes open in the marketplace, young consumer expectations are on the rise, making it harder than ever for an instant coffee to compete for share of mind and share of throat. Nestle is behind for some of coffee’s greatest innovations – freeze-dried coffee, the capsule machine, and more. But with cafes becoming the “modern” way to enjoy coffee in China, how could Nescafe retain its name as a leader in innovation?

Moodlock, a fully-functioning tech innovation created for beta testing, took five months to prototype and build. Breakthrough technology, smartglass that alters its transparency when an electric current passed through, was the greatest challenge. The glass had to be thin enough for the touchscreen to function, yet thick enough to be able to blur sufficiently to render the screen unusable. As such, suppliers were engaged from China to Germany, from Korean to Taiwan. This fully-functioning piece of tangible tech was produced and shared with influencers. A video was produced and shared on social media to show the innovation working in real life, and the benefits it could bring to people. As part of a social media campaign, consumers applied to receive the product so they could take part in its beta testing.