George Clooney has been starring in Nespresso ads internationally for nearly a decade but is just now finally making his debut for the brand in the U.S., in a new ad from McCann New York entitled “Training Day” which also stars Danny DeVito.
The spot opens with DeVito asking Clooney “Is that coffee?” when he sees him filling a mug from a Nespresso machine on set. “I want in,” he tells Clooney, who has DeVito tailored for a suit and begins training him in everything from proper wine tasting to proper sushi etiquette in service of the brand’s manufacturing of an elegant image. The spot ends with two new curious parties questioning DeVito and Clooney about Nespresso, leading into the “Experience a cup above” tagline. Clooney and DeVito’s chemistry really carries the ad, helping to keep its goofy approach from being too grating and even lending it a touch of charm at moments.
“I’ve been working with Nespresso internationally for nine years, and I really love and respect the brand, what they do, and how they do it,” Clooney explained in a statement. “Nespresso and I have a shared commitment to sustainability, most recently helping to rebuild coffee farms in South Sudan. They are an incredibly responsible company, and I am excited to expand my partnership with them into the U.S.”
Some of the actions of Nescaffe’s parent company Nestlé, however, are a bit more at odds with the actor’s well-publicized activism.
Credits:
Client: Nespresso
President: Guillaume Le Cunff
Vice President of Marketing: Davide Moro
Marketing Director: Justin DeGeorge
International Brand Communications Manager: Anna Lundstrom
Manager, Marketing Communications: Allison Moore
Brand Manager: Laura Hagege
Agency: McCann New York
North American Chief Creative Officer, Eric Silver
Chief Creative Officers, New York: Tom Murphy, Sean Bryan
Executive Creative Directors: Larry Platt, Lea Ladera
Creative Directors (Art Directors): Chuck Tso, Carlos Wigle
Creative Directors (Copywriters): Adam Kanzer, Scott Cooney
Chief Production Officer: Nathy Aviram
Broadcast Affairs: Danielle Korn, Su‐Mei Luk
Executive Producer: Kathy Love
Senior Integrated Producer: Wendy Leahy
Music Producer: Eric Johnson, Michael Ladman
Account Management: Dana McCullough, Sarah Louie, Athena Grammas
Strategy: Steve Zaroff, Christine Villanueva
Business Affairs: Erin Levine
Talent Coordinator: Terry Marcello
Traffic: Elly Schribman
Network Clearance: Sarah Malloy
Print/Banner Production: Sharon McKenzie, Mary Anguili, Ralph Cirillo, Teresa Tarquini, Thomas Walsh
Training Day Spots:
Production Company: Untitled
Director: Grant Heslov
Director of Photography: Phedon Papamichael
Editorial Company: Big Sky
Editor: Chris Franklin
Effects/Finishing: Big Sky
Lead Artist: Ryan Sears
Transfer: Nice Shoes – Chris Ryan
Music Company: NA / Isley Brothers “Fight the Power”
Mix Studio: Sound Lounge
Engineer: Peter Holcomb
Web Films:
Production Company: Beware Doll
Director: Sam Jones
Print & Banner Imagery:
Photographer: Sam Jones