Every day around one billion videos are watched online in China. Each usually starts with an ad, which 87% of consumers dislike. Not such a “good start”, huh?

So Nescafé, keen to provide “good starts” to consumers wherever possible, got rid of these ugly pre-roll ads, replacing them with a single 5-second spot on Youku, China’s version of Youtube.

Instead of interrupting the experience, Nescafé had provided a pleasant start to whatever it was the viewer was looking forward to. The brand fit right in… just like a cup of coffee in the morning.

Bucking the trend of garish and ugly pre-roll ads, Nescafé kicked off viewing experiences in China with something pleasant: A 5-second pre-roll “ad” on China’s largest online TV platform, Youku (China’s Youtube).

The ad ran in late April 2017, and were shared online afterward.

The ad achieved some of Nescafé’s highest online TV ROI to date in China. The ads went out to 3000 consumers from between the hours of 7am and 9am.

Nescafé had one of its strongest sales seasons, demonstrating that sometimes the simplest innovations are the most striking. The message was the medium, the medium was the message.