Woman with long dark hair in a blue dress sips a latte while lounging in a sky-print hammock above the clouds
Submitted by The Romans

Vertuo World

Influencer Marketing

The Romans announced Dua Lipa as Nespresso's global ambassador with a six-day Covent Garden takeover and media push that the agency reports delivered 1.16BN earned media reach.

212pieces of coverage
7,740explorative coffees served
6broadcast hits
57media/influencers attended

Case in 60 seconds

Nespresso had signed Dua Lipa as its global ambassador and needed the announcement to register as a cultural event rather than a press release, which The Romans frames as landing a thunderclap moment.

The campaign appears to turn on the reading that a famous name alone does not start conversation, so Dua Lipa's favourite flavours were converted into coffees that people could taste, film and disagree about.

The Romans opened a new Vertuo World era for Nespresso with a multi-phased campaign combining experiential work with a media strategy aimed at cultural buzz rather than announcement coverage alone.

The Recipe Remix ran as a six-day Covent Garden takeover attended by 57 media/influencers and 4,657 consumers, who were served creations including Pickled Coffee Cola, the Love It or Hate Latte and a Salted Affogato. A Spin to Win mechanic ran alongside the tastings and unlocked prizes including Vertuo machines, with 4,000+ prizes given away.

The Romans reports 212 pieces of coverage, 1.16BN earned media reach and 6 broadcast hits, including live appearances on ITV Lorraine and Heart FM, alongside 7,740 explorative coffees served at the takeover.

Strategy Breakdown

The work was filed under the agency's Consumer specialism and addressed two groups at the same London event: media and influencers, 57 of whom attended, and consumers, 4,657 of whom came through the Covent Garden takeover.
Celebrity endorsement is a familiar move, so the tension appears to sit between a name that commands attention and an everyday product that rarely earns talk on its own, which the unlikely recipes were built to bridge.
Coffee is a routine purchase and a new machine era is hard to make newsworthy, so the campaign put unfamiliar drinks such as Pickled Coffee Cola in front of people rather than arguing product benefits.
Nespresso's role reads as host rather than sponsor, because the takeover served the brand's own coffee creations and placed Vertuo machines into guests' hands through the prize mechanic.
Attendees appear more likely to film a drink that divides opinion, which the Love It or Hate Latte names outright, so the menu was written to provoke a reaction rather than approval.

Creative & Execution System

Assets & channels

  • Other

Partners

  • The Romans

Participation mechanic

  • Guests took part by tasting the experimental coffee creations and by playing a 'Spin to Win' mechanic that unlocked exclusive prizes including Vertuo machines, with 4,000+ prizes given away.

Creator role

  • Dua Lipa — creator

Results & Evidence

MetricValue
Pieces of Coverage212 pieces of coverage
Earned Media Reach1.16BN earned media reach
Explorative Coffees Served7,740 explorative coffees served
Broadcast Hits6 broadcast hits
Media/Influencers AttendedAt the heart was The Recipe Remix - a six-day Covent Garden takeover attended by 57 media/influencers and 4,657 consumers to experience unexpected coffee creations inspired by Dua's favourite flavours.
Consumers AttendedAt the heart was The Recipe Remix - a six-day Covent Garden takeover attended by 57 media/influencers and 4,657 consumers to experience unexpected coffee creations inspired by Dua's favourite flavours.
Prizes Given AwayGuests could also take part in a 'Spin to Win' mechanic to unlock exclusive prizes including Vertuo machines - with 4,000+ prizes given away.

Why The Romans' strategy worked

  1. 1

    An ambassador announcement appears to travel further when the celebrity's taste is rendered as something an attendee can drink, because press and social are given an image to carry rather than a signing to report.

  2. 2

    A prize mechanic at volume, here 4,000+ prizes given away, reads as a way to hold footfall across a six-day run rather than a single launch night, which spreads attendance and coverage over consecutive days.

  3. 3

    Splitting the guest list between 57 media/influencers and 4,657 consumers suggests a takeover built to produce trade-grade coverage and ordinary attendee posting at once, with both audiences served by the same set.

  4. 4

    Landing 6 broadcast hits beside social coverage suggests the drinks were designed to be demonstrated on air, because a segment such as ITV Lorraine needs something to show rather than a name to announce.

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