Topic: Decoding the Modern Coffee – Cold Brew is the New Hot

Coffee is a global drink and has existed for centuries. It has been a dominant cultural force in which meanings, rituals, and ways of drinking have shifted over time.

Recently, independent cafés and their creative baristas are looking for unique ways to appeal to new consumers and stand out from their competition. These baristas have developed new coffee rituals, new ways of preparing coffee (ex: cold brew) and have introduced new codes for the coffee category. This modern approach to coffee borrows codes from alcohol and mixology, introduces new heritage and quality codes, and changes the coffee category language.

This presentation showcases a case study on how Nestlé leveraged semiotics in the emerging cold brew coffee category.