“The fact is, that Turks can’t live without coffee…” the introduction of Nescafé into Turkey (1952-1987)

Abstract

This paper aims to investigate the introduction of Nescafe, a brand of the Swiss multinational company Nestle, into the Turkish market and examines the formative period (1952-1987) before it succeeded to become the most popular and leading coffee brand in Turkey. By that it aims to draw attention to Turkey as an interesting case in point for the study of the history of marketing practices in a non-Western context.,This study deploys a variety of largely unexplored material ranging from archival sources to newspaper reports and advertisements. In the first part, archival sources provided by the Nestle archives (AHN) will be analyzed to present the company’s marketing strategy. As the amount on advertisements between 1952 and 1984 remained modest, the second part is devoted to the analysis of Turkish media reports to discuss Nescafe’s public perception.,The paper demonstrates that during the period under consideration the instable political and economic environment was pivotal for Nescafe’s marketing. Nestle in the early years used similar strategies as in the West advertising Nescafe as a premium product for the upper middle-class. Due to import restrictions, it was a scarce and high-priced product. Nescafe succeeded to become a highly esteemed and sought-after product because it stood for Western modernity and prosperity. The study argues that it was not primarily Nestle’s marketing that resulted in Nescafe’s considerable brand recognition but its public “visibility” through media reporting.,This study is a preliminary attempt to investigate the history of instant coffee and its marketing in a non-Western market. The paper is mainly focused on Nescafe because it was and still is the most important brand in Turkey. Further, this paper brings into spotlight a country with distinct sociopolitical and cultural particularities which distinguish it from Western countries and allow to scrutinize how marketing practice and thought may develop in a non-Western setting. Further research is needed as Turkey s specific marketing environment is far from being thoroughly investigated.,By focusing on Turkey, this paper provides an insight into the specific ways Nescafe was marketed, consumed and perceived in a non-Western market. By that it allows to consider how multinational companies responded and adapted to a culturally, politically and economically challenging environment.