- EU coffee consumption flatlined at 1.74 million tonnes between 2021 and 2023
- The UK and Switzerland imported 9.1% and 8.4% less green coffee in 2023, respectively
- But brands are starting to spend big to revive coffee’s cultural cool
AS global coffee consumption shows signs of cooling, brands are pouring millions into rekindling its emotional appeal.
For decades, coffee has been the morning mainstay of millions – a hot, comforting anchor to daily life. But as consumption cools, particularly in mature markets, we are witnessing a shift.
The latest European Coffee Report from the European Coffee Federation shows EU coffee volumes stagnated at 1.74 million tonnes between 2021 and 2023. Economic pressures and weak consumer spending have driven sharp declines in consumption across much of Europe. Outside the EU, Switzerland and the UK also saw drops in green coffee imports in 2023 – down 8.4% and 9.1% respectively – reflecting the region’s wider downward trend.
And while illycaffè’s sales volumes remained substantially stable – also thanks to moderate price increases – the broader market has witnessed some demand slowdown, with overall sales in Italy falling 1.5% and in the US lower by 2% so far this year, according to illycaffè CEO Cristina Scocchia.
While the National Coffee Association’s (NCA) Spring 2025 National Coffee Data Trends (NCDT) report reveals that coffee remains ubiquitous in the US, with 66% of adults drinking it daily – the most of any beverage – it also shows that tea is taking the lead over coffee amongst Gen Z, a consumer segment to be reckoned with.
Overall – beyond inflation and trade disruptions – changing lifestyles, growing wellness trends, and a younger generation more drawn to matcha and energy drinks than drip brews are beginning to take a toll.
This has ushered in a kind of revival campaign for coffee. In May, Costa Coffee, the UK’s largest coffee chain, launched “Made With Heart,” a global brand platform created by WPP Open X and VML UK. The campaign – centred on emotionally charged rituals and the small, quiet comforts of daily coffee – includes two cinematic adverts backed by a full-throttle media roll-out across television, digital, out-of-home, and social platforms.
“These are great,” says Spencer Turer, Vice President of Coffee Enterprises. “I especially love the commercial with the young girl going away to school – this resonated greatly as it reminded me of my daughters when they went away to school and tapped into those same emotions.”
The aim is simple: reassert coffee as not just a product, but a feeling.
The UK campaign is just one node in a broader movement. In the US, the NCA has moved from past consumer-facing efforts – like its “Coffee Achievers” campaign in the early 1980s – to more industry-focused messaging through its widely cited National Coffee Data Trends reports. Though rooted in data, these reports are carefully framed to spotlight positive trends and are often picked up by the press as evidence that coffee is thriving.
Other brands are following suit. Starbucks is pushing a social media-driven “Third Place” revival, investing in store redesigns and campaigns that emphasise personal connection and community, while remaining a “coffee-first” company. Meanwhile, boutique chains like Blank Street and WatchHouse are repositioning coffee as a design object and aesthetic lifestyle, rather than just a beverage.
“While we have not benefited from an industry side advertising campaign in several decades, individual companies are starting to understand the effectiveness of lifestyle advertising when promoting products to specific target audiences, while many local and national advertisements remain rooted in value chain, farming, and sustainability,” says Spencer.
“I believe these messages resonate with many consumers, while lifestyle advertising with celebrities, social situations, and relatable scenarios are also relatable to many consumers. It is the task of marketing geniuses to know which advertising will resonate with which consumers, and if those consumers are the target market for the coffee brand or coffee product.”
The latest campaigns arise in response to a very real trend: coffee, a mature product, though still registering a healthy current value, is seeing volume growth slow or stall. In high-income countries, saturation, economic uncertainty and shifting generational preferences have led to stagnation for many. Coffee runs the risk of no longer being a cultural default.
So, are these emotional appeals a desperate ploy to restore faded allure? Perhaps – but they are also part of a long tradition of turning to narrative when demand falters.
A history of making consumers fall in love with products again
Coffee is hardly the first sector to market itself out of decline. In the 1980s, American wine was a niche indulgence. To combat this, the California wine industry funded the production of “Sideways” (2004), a now-cult classic that championed Pinot Noir, whose sales increased 16% in response, and indirectly tanked Merlot sales, which fell by 2%.
Beer took a similar route. When craft beer was floundering in the early 2000s, campaigns like “The Most Interesting Man in the World” by Dos Equis used humour and character to revive interest among young male drinkers. Heineken’s more recent James Bond tie-ins have taken a similarly cinematic approach to glamourise beer consumption in a competitive market.
Coffee’s own past holds a striking example. In 1984, facing declining youth interest, the NCA launched the original “Coffee Achievers” campaign with Bowie, Heart and Joe Theismann. The ads aired on MTV and major networks, touting coffee as the thinking person’s beverage. Consumption among young adults rebounded modestly in the years following. It was designed to modernise coffee’s image and align it with ambition and creativity, urging young Americans to swap beer for coffee, but reportedly did not meet its goals.
“Coffee advertising has not always been consistent with other beverages,” says Spencer. “Soft drinks, beer, and sports drinks have embraced lifestyle marketing with much greater enthusiasm than coffee.”
“Café culture in the 1980s and 1990s was in the very early stages of growth, while other beverages were readily available everywhere. Mrs. Olsen was promoting ‘Mountain Grown Coffee’ on TV while soft drinks had catchy jingles, and celebrity endorsements.
Coffee did not benefit from exciting campaigns until the ‘Coffee Achievers’ TV ads. These advertisements did not promote a single brand or product, they promoted coffee overall. At the time, beer advertising had its own musical jingles, relatable social and sports scenarios, and celebrity endorsements. Unfortunately, coffee advertising was not consistent on radio and television.”
Spencer recalls the Juan Valdez campaign, which successfully helped promote Colombian coffee from the 1970s into the 1990s. It made the character a celebrity and elevated the recognition of Colombian coffee as the “richest coffee in the world.”
Psychologically, these campaigns work by activating what behavioural economists call “narrative bias” – our tendency to respond more strongly to stories than to facts. A 2021 study of over 2,000 car ads found that increasing the emotional content of ads leads to increases in online search, but increasing the informational content does not. Another found that narrative-rich campaigns were more likely to lead to brand loyalty over time.
But nostalgia and narrative only go so far. Consumers, especially younger ones, are savvier, more values-driven and more cynical than before. Gen Z’s preference for transparency and aesthetics means that messaging alone must be matched by experience.
Hence the rise of coffee served in glassware, the artfully designed cafés, the TikTok-friendly beverages made with Ube or lavender foam, and the advent of DIY coffee concoctions shared online, spear-headed by social media influencers. The marketing of coffee is evolving not only in tone, but in medium.
Promote, innovate, or create scarcity?
The fundamentals remain strong: global demand is growing, albeit unevenly. Emerging markets are still expanding, and climate-related shocks to production could add urgency – and scarcity. Yet the plateauing of traditional markets is forcing a strategic pivot.
Could coffee’s next act rely less on emotion and more on exclusivity? The psychology of scarcity, the idea that limited availability increases perceived value, has become one of the most effective strategies in marketing.
Scarcity has always been a marketer’s ace card. Rare varietals, limited edition microlots, and single-origin narratives offer the appeal of discovery and status. Blue Bottle’s “Exceedingly Rare” series, for instance, offers highly-priced bags of rare beans – $80 per 100 grams of whole beans, for example – with curated storytelling. It has a wait list for customers, and frequently sells out. The Cup of Excellence competition has grown into a prestige platform, driving up auction prices and media attention.
This strategy borrows from the luxury playbook. As with watches or whiskey, perceived rarity and provenance can drive demand even in tight economies. If coffee becomes more of an experience – like wine tasting or chocolate pairing – it may reclaim its centrality by elevating itself beyond the quotidian.
Digital innovation may also play a role. Brands like Cometeer tried betting on frozen specialty coffee pods for home use, while Jot and others are marketing concentrated brews for mixable convenience. The next generation of campaigns may fuse convenience, quality and design – packaging daily coffee as both effortless and elevated.
But beyond these strategies, could a marketing campaign to promote coffee as a cornerstone of community and culture be the simple answer, or at least the launchpad?
Pop star Sabrina Carpenter endorsing Dunkin, Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds endorsing STōK Cold Brew, and social media influencer Emma Chamberlain launching her own coffee brand are all examples of celebrities who have successfully put coffee back on the map – not in in terms of product sales, but culturally with the many.
“Consumers seek a relatable experience to what they see on advertising and want to associate their favourite brands and products with recognisable celebrities,” says Spencer. “The Nespresso advertising with George Clooney is a perfect example of contemporary coffee lifestyle advertising presented similarly to other beverages.”
“Beer and soft drink advertising in the 1980s and 1990s evolved to include logo clothing, housewares, and other lifestyle items. Who remembers the Light Beer Athletic Club and Coca-Cola shirts? I remember hearing that NASCAR fans would change products and brands based on who sponsored their favourite driver.”
If Sabrina Carpenter leaves Dunkin for Starbucks, will her audience follow her? The influence that pop icons wield is not to be underestimated.
“In my judgement, coffee and specialty coffee would greatly benefit from another ‘Coffee Achievers’ type of industry-wide promotion,” says Spencer. “In the concept that ‘a rising tide lifts all ships,’ the coffee industry has benefited from Starbucks, Dunkin’, and Nestlé advertising campaigns.”
Ultimately, coffee’s future may depend not only on how it’s grown and prepared, but how it’s remembered. Rituals are sticky. Storytelling, especially when rooted in emotion and nostalgia, helps preserve them.
But as the past has shown, emotion alone won’t win the future. Great campaigns may bring coffee back into hearts – but it will take innovation, accessibility, and maybe a bit of scarcity to keep it in cups.
Coffee Intelligence
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