Nescafé

Objective:

Driving brand awareness with trend-led storytelling

Nestlé Sri Lanka, in collaboration with Ogilvy Sri Lanka, set out to connect with digital-native audiences by harnessing the power of short-form content on TikTok. As a leading coffee brand with a strong household presence, Nescafé aimed to test TikTok’s capabilities to drive upper-funnel brand awareness and video engagement with younger audiences, particularly Gen Z and millennials.

Spotting the viral momentum of the “Cloud Coffee” trend — a whipped coffee sensation that gained global popularity on the platform — the brand saw a timely opportunity to align with a culturally relevant moment. With a focus on 6-second video view completions, Nestlé aimed to turn this viral trend into a branded storytelling success.

The Solution

Leveraging trend-led creative with Instant Page and Spark Ads

Nescafé Sri Lanka launched a TikTok-first strategy centered on the viral “Cloud Coffee” trend. The brand’s objective was to not only ride the wave of this moment but to translate interest into meaningful interaction and brand lift through performance-driven ad formats.

At the heart of the media strategy was the Instant Page, TikTok’s high-speed, native landing experience. It loaded in just 0.33 seconds, significantly faster than standard mobile web pages, offering users engaging recipe content including Cloud Latte, Coconut Cloud Black, and Cold Brew, all made with Nescafé. This frictionless experience encouraged deeper exploration, keeping users immersed in the brand’s world.

To amplify reach and authenticity, Nescafé partnered with local creators through Spark Ads, boosting organic content that showcased real-life coffee-making moments. Creators used trending audio, native TikTok editing tools, and fast-paced storytelling formats — ensuring the content blended seamlessly with the For You feed. This creator-led approach enabled the campaign to resonate with the TikTok community while driving the brand’s key messages.

Together, the blend of culturally relevant creative, high-performing ad formats, and localized creator partnerships helped the campaign spark real engagement and elevate brand perception on TikTok.

Results

High reach and efficiency brewed to perfection

Within just 14 days of launching paid ads, the Nescafé Cloud Coffee campaign generated over 3.4 million video views, 1.03 million in reach and 15,154 clicks, according to internal performance data. The campaign also resulted in 435,902 6 second video views and drove a follower increase of 792 to Nescafé Sri Lanka’s TikTok profile.

The campaign achieved a Cost Per 1,000 People Reached (CPM) of $0.22, marking a 69% decrease compared to the local average of $0.70 highlighting TikTok's strong cost efficiency for upper-funnel goals.

Beyond the numbers, the campaign validated TikTok as a trend-aligned brand-building platform in Sri Lanka and laid the foundation for future activations that tap into local culture, creators, and community-led storytelling.