Death Wish Coffee’s first national campaign, “Performance Enhancing Coffee,” is as audacious as the brand itself. The Death Wish Coffee ad 2023 follows the NCAA’s ruling that more than three cups of Death Wish Coffee can be ‘performance-enhancing.’ But does this bold move brew success, or is it risky? Let’s delve into the pros and cons.
Pros
- Ingenious Concept: The ad brilliantly turns a potential negative—the NCAA‘s ‘performance-enhancing’ label—into a marketing win, making it memorable and unique.
- Strong Brand Alignment: The campaign perfectly aligns with Death Wish Coffee’s larger brand platform, ‘Live With a Death Wish,’ encouraging people to live boldly.
- Social Commentary: By anonymously sponsoring college athletes, the campaign subtly critiques the NCAA’s stringent rules, adding depth to the ad.
Cons
- Ethical Concerns: The anonymous sponsorship could raise ethical questions, potentially overshadowing the campaign’s creative brilliance.
- Limited Audience: The campaign’s focus on college athletes and NCAA rules may alienate those unfamiliar with American college sports.
- Complexity: The multi-layered narrative, while intriguing, could confuse some viewers, diluting the campaign’s effectiveness.
Memorability: 90/100
The campaign’s unique angle of turning a potential negative—the NCAA’s ‘performance-enhancing’ label—into a marketing win is brilliant. This audacious move makes the ad memorable, challenging the norms and regulations surrounding college sports and caffeine consumption. It’s a narrative that’s hard to forget, hence the high score.
Effectiveness: 80/100
The campaign does an excellent job of aligning with Death Wish Coffee’s brand ethos of living boldly. It also successfully introduces the product as something more than just a coffee—almost like a lifestyle choice. However, the campaign’s effectiveness is slightly hampered by its complexity and the potential ethical questions it raises, which could divert attention from the product itself.
Style: 85/100
The ad’s style is consistent with the brand’s rebellious and bold personality. The use of anonymous athletes, blurred faces, and intriguing narrative contribute to a stylistically cohesive campaign. It loses some points for potentially alienating those unfamiliar with NCAA rules or American college sports.
Heart or Humor: 70/100
While the campaign does attempt to add depth by critiquing the NCAA’s stringent rules, it doesn’t evoke strong emotional or humorous responses. It’s more of an intellectual engagement than an emotional or humorous one, so it scores lower in this category.
Execution: 88/100
The campaign is well-executed in terms of production quality, narrative flow, and alignment with brand values. The hero film featuring athletes excelling on and off the field is particularly well done. However, the campaign’s multi-layered narrative could confuse some viewers, slightly affecting its overall execution.
Comparison
Compared to Starbucks‘ “Year of Good” campaign, which aimed for emotional resonance but more straightforwardly, Death Wish Coffee’s ad is far more daring. While Starbucks played it safe, Death Wish Coffee took a gamble that mostly paid off.
Conclusion
Death Wish Coffee’s “Performance Enhancing Coffee” campaign is a bold and audacious move that mostly succeeds in its objectives. It’s a complex, multi-layered narrative that aligns well with the brand’s ethos. However, it has risks, particularly concerning ethics and audience reach.
