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What is the 'Sudbury Incident'?

How do an incident at a Sudbury trailer park and coffee creamer tie together? We're not quite sure.
How do an incident at a Sudbury trailer park and coffee creamer tie together? We're not quite sure.

But Nestlé Canada is betting that strange combination, and the mystery that comes with it, will be enough to encourage more young people to try its flavoured Coffee-mate creamers.

The company's “Sudbury Incident” advertising campaign has raised a lot of eyebrows with short vignettes on television and Instagram  that put Sudbury front and centre in a mystery – that has not yet been fully explained – that seems to change people's coffee-drinking habits.

“In our research, we uncovered that there’s a certain mystery to Coffee-mate itself,” said Ryan Saunders, marketing leader for coffee and beverages at Nestlé Canada, in an email to NorthernLife.ca.

“It’s really not on the radar for most young adults who are in the process of forming their coffee habits.

“What we discovered was that when people experience Coffee-mate for the first time something unexpected happens – they love it! It was that aspect of mystery and unexpectedness that inspired us to take this unique creative approach.”

Canadian marketing firm MacLaren McCann filmed the vignettes, which have been rolled out over the last week, around Greater Sudbury in March.

But why did a multinational corporation focus on Sudbury for its Canadian campaign?

“We needed a location to tell a story and wanted a place that was both recognizable, but a little mysterious,” Saunders said. “Sudbury is known for some great, unique things: The Big Nickel, The Super Stack, The Wolves, having over 300 lakes and a Stompin’ Tom song about it, but most Canadians have never been there. Making it a really cool and intriguing Canadian city.”

Saunders said it's still too early to gauge the campaign's success, but added it has generated a lot of interest and engagement so far.

While Sudbury's growing film industry often transforms the city into other locations, the Coffee-mate campaign has decided not to hide those roots, and has made Sudbury a central part of the story.

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