When Even Your Dad Buys a Nespresso
Dave thought he was a man of principle. Every morning he staged a one-man opera in his kitchen: scoop the beans, grind them like he was fuelling a steam train, wait for the kettle, pour, wait again, and finally pour what he called “coffee” but what looked suspiciously like bog water to anyone else.
This was not just caffeine. It was identity. He was the cafetière guy.
Then the herd came for him.
First, his sister casually mentioned their parents had switched to Nespresso. Their parents. The same people who once treated instant coffee like it was the devil’s own dust. A betrayal of that magnitude makes a man question everything.
Then his mate Alex joined in. “Changed my life, mate. One button. Done.”
And, of course, George Clooney turned up on television, smug as ever.
One week later, the cafetière was shoved behind the cereal boxes. Dave was scrolling pod subscription deals.
What this has to do with you
If you’re a marketer or media planner, you’re basically Dave. You know your rituals, your channels, your safe bets. TV, digital, social. Scoop, grind, pour, repeat. And then the herd shifts.
Consumers don’t switch because of your beautifully rational arguments about price or product features. They switch because everyone around them already has. Behaviour doesn’t change on spreadsheets. It changes in kitchens, offices, gyms, WhatsApp groups.
Where the book comes in
Herd mentality in marketing is the central theme of Individualism is Bullshit. The Nespresso story is one of many reminders that the job isn’t to win debates with individual buyers. It’s to spot the tipping points in communities and place your bets there.
And you don’t have to take it on faith. Our case studies show how real-world communities influence adoption, from challenger brands to charities. It’s never just one ad or one channel that tips the balance. It’s what people see, hear, and copy in their own circles.
Your problem, our solution
The problem: your budgets are flat, your board still wants growth, and your audience is acting like Dave, clinging to the cafetière of habit.
The solution: stop trying to prise the cafetière out of their hands with logic. Instead, find the clusters where behaviour is already shifting. That’s where your media planning with behavioural science has the power to multiply.
The bottom line
When even your dad buys a Nespresso, it’s not about the machine. It’s about the herd. If you want your campaigns to work, don’t fight people’s rituals. Find the moments when their communities are already nudging them toward change, and make sure your brand is right there, pods at the ready.
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