Nespresso Canada is giving coffee drinkers a virtual getaway experience with its “ARt of the Escape” advent calendar.

The activation, by McCann Montreal, turns the daily coffee unboxing experience into an augmented-reality escape to the mountains, inspired by this year’s box design of a winter mountain landscape. Coffee drinkers can scan the QR code included in the box to try a different experience every time they open their coffee capsule of-the-day.

The animated alpine landscape includes a chalet in the woods, a playful white dog participating in winter activities and a caribou with a penchant for festive decorations.

The campaign stems from the insight that while two-thirds of Canadians look forward to local winter getaways during the holidays, this year’s economy – given inflation and high interest rates – means most Canadians are likely to forgo planning a vacation this season.

“We realized there would be a lot of Nespresso drinkers in Canada dreaming about local winter getaways from the confines of their kitchen counter this year,” says Mark Dolynskyj, associate creative director with McCann Montreal. “So, we thought, instead of trying to physically bring people to the mountains, why not bring a sense of wintery mountain magic to the coffee counter at home?”

According to Nespresso, it was a natural extension for the brand.

“Our advent calendar provides our customers with a rewarding coffee experience every morning, so why not also add a little more magic to that moment?” says Marig Chapel, B2C category manager at Nespresso Canada.

Nespresso is promoting the effort via social media, email and in-store across Canada, in English and French. The activation is likely to roll out across global Nespresso markets in 2024.