ZUS Coffee's minimalistic OOH ad sparks varied discussions online

ZUS Coffee has set out two billboards along Jalan Tun Razak and Jalan Syed Putra Kuala Lumpur. The ad features a blue background and white text that reads "Warna biru yang menyatukan rakyat Malaysia" ('The colour blue that unites Malaysians'). 

A ZUS Coffee cup is also featured on the ad, where a USB-C charger is seen plugged into one of the two holes on the side of the cup. 

Don't miss: ZUS Coffee launches new pastry outlet with immersive giant croissant takeover

The ad, though seemingly simple, has garnered positive reactions and had sparked some discussions online. According to media intelligence firm DATAXET NAMA, conversations on the billboard advertisement were 60% positive and 25% negative. 

Many netizens (40%) complimented the creativity and unique approach of the billboard as it had captured attention and aligned well with the brand's image. 

An additional 20% of netizens found the ad insightful and thought-provoking, adding that they appreciated that the billboard made people think and sparked discussions. 

Interestingly, 25% of netizens criticised the clarity of the message as it was "unclear and hard to understand", said DATAXET NAMA. 10% of netizens had gone the extra mile and commented constructive feedback about ways to improve the billboard message and creative concept, while 5% of netizens made a comparative evaluation of ZUS Coffee's ads to competitor brands Nescafe. 

In a LinkedIn comment section seen by A+M, a netizen pointed out that the copy says ZUS Coffee is for 'all people' but the visual shows that it's for 'all devices', adding that the copy does not match with the visual and that the billboard had "crammed in too many ideas and different messages" on one billboard.

The billboard is just one of the few marketing efforts ZUS Coffee has in the works. Most recently, ZUS Coffee launched a new pastry store called "Coffee Meets Pastry". Located in 1 Utama Shopping Centre, the pasty store is a "new cosy hangout for the best coffee and pastries,"said ZUS Coffee in a Facebook post. 

To promote the launch, the brand tapped onto imagery and giant cut outs of croissants to generate buzz and excitement. In one teaser video, a woman wearing sunglasses was seen walking around a mall with a cup of ZUS Coffee in hand, and a giant croissant cut out clasped underneath her other arm. 

She is later seen drinking the coffee outside a poster that reads "This is not ZUS Coffee" before walking past the stores' name which was revealed as "Coffee Meets Pastry by ZUS."  

In store, a giant table in the shape of a croissant sits in the middle of it. The store also features a photo wall featuring croissants in different forms such as a croissant dipped in coffee, a croissant in the mouth of an animal and a croissant as hair on a human head. Croissant-shaped stickers were also available. 

Photo courtesy of Dusty Tan, LinkedIn

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