Coffee Mate is having fun with its name, and a popular British and Australian idiom.

The Nestlé brand’s “Coffee Mate, Mate” campaign features two Australian friends, and is built around jocularity and familiarity. The hero spot is quotable, and it engages Canadians’ unique sense of humour, says Eryn Pasut, Nestlé’s marketing director for beverages.

Pasut tells strategy that it’s completed consumer research that’s informed the strategy, and that the brand has taken a turn to be more lighthearted and lean into its brand name in a specific and ownable way.

This campaign marks a return to television for the Coffee Mate brand, for the first time in a year. During the past year, Pasut says it has seen the category become increasingly competitive, making the need for breakthrough, memorable advertising all the more important.

“Keeping Coffee Mate relevant and top of mind for our customers, shoppers and consumers is our biggest priority,” she adds.

The campaign went live with 15-second ad spots that will run on TV, YouTube and Meta, and will also see support with in-store elements, six-second digital cuts and OOH, which will enter the market on April 1.

Competitors include Tim Hortons’ retail offering, as well as the Danone brand, International Delight. Pasut sees the competitive set as “anything you add to enhance your coffee.” She says that in terms of differentiator, Coffee Mate is the originators of the category back in 1961.

“This has been our biggest media spend on Coffee Mate in recent years,” Pasut says, as the CPG brand targets shoppers with a sense of humour.

Indie shop, Courage is the creative agency, with media AOR Thrive handling the buy.

Late last summer, Nestlé announced that it expanded its relationship with Courage, awarding AOR assignments on several more of its brands like Coffee Mate, in response to success with Nescafé.