Some of the most romantic commercials ever were the television commercials for Nescafé instant coffee, with Sharon Maughan and Anthony Stewart Head (Rupert Giles of Buffy fame). The company created a series of commercials that ran more or less like a soap opera about a pair of neighbours drawn together by their mutual love of coffee.
The ads first ran in Britain from 1987 to 1993 and in the US from 1990 to 1997. The US ads were for Taster’s Choice rather than Nescafé and were redone for an American audience.
Taster’s Choice ran a contest in 1998 asking viewers to resolve the romantic triangle between the two neighbours and the female neighbour’s past love. The results were announced in Soap Opera Digest in Anthony Stewart Head’s favour (does that really surprise anyone?). (And how come I never get neighbours like him?)
For still photos from that campaign, check out Mr. Head’s site.
The first eleven commercials were bundled in the free promotional video, ‘Love Over Gold’.
Coffee anyone?
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Oh my gosh, I never made the connection that Giles was the Nescafe neighbor!
Those were the days… when even commercials were scripted dramas. Now TV is “reality” and reality looks like a commercial. Weird.
by Jessa Slade March 10th, 2010 at 10:58 pmYou’re right - but I think the worth of storytelling is evident in the fact that all these years later people still remember the ads!
by Sharon Ashwood March 11th, 2010 at 12:20 am