• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, December 21, 2009

This holiday season marks the debut of the first U.S. advertising campaign for the Nescafé Dolce Gusto system coffeemaker, which brews one serving at a time from prepackaged capsules.

The TV and print campaign conveys that the sophisticated machine, made by Krups, gives coffee aficionados "the power to make virtually any coffeehouse drink" right at home.

At the same time, it makes the most of the esthetic appeal of the machine's unusual design, which features rounded contours somewhat reminiscent of a Frank Gehry building. Cleveland-based Marcus Thomas -- agency for the U.S. campaign -- re-cut, re-scripted and re-scored stop-motion, animated footage created by McCann Erickson, Brazil, for the TV spot. The footage shows the machine's red, white and black models delivering perfect cups of mocha, espresso, caffé Americano, cappuccino and latte macchiato.

In the commercial, the machine's most compelling differentiator -- its coffeehouse-level power (15 bars of pressure, versus the three bars maximum offered by most home machines)-- is demonstrated rather than stated. The footage zeroes in on the black coffee's "aerated crema layer" and the thickness of the milk-based drinks -- both effects that coffee purists recognize as impossible without that coffeehouse-level power.

The full-page color print ad showcases a photo of the machine (which retails for $149.99) in action and emphasizes its high-tech beauty. Headline: "It awakens the senses. Even before the espresso kicks in." The print effort also spells out the machine's 15 bars of power, and the ability to produce the single servings in under a minute.

"The ads acknowledge that the machine gets your attention first with its design, but stress that you should not be fooled by its 'cute' exterior, because it's really got the power to deliver exceptional coffee," sums up Jamie Venorsky, creative director for Marcus Thomas.