Brad Pitt has 16 furry roommates, a busy morning, and one simple request. He just wants a quiet cup of coffee.
This setup drives De'Longhi's latest global campaign, directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Spike Jonze.
The film plays out an ordinary morning as a chaotic roommate comedy delivered through barks and subtitles.
Creative agency LOLAMadrid uses the tension to spotlight the new Magnifica Duo's capabilities for hot and cold brews.
Aparna Sundaresh, global CMO at the De'Longhi Group, ties Perfetto to individual taste.
"At De'Longhi, we believe that Perfetto is the spirit of immersing yourself in your coffee moment, Italian style. But perfected to your taste," she said in a press release.
"Our Duo range is designed to do exactly that — it serves up your perfetto, your way — hot or cold. Through every season and every mood."
Pitt has been a brand partner for years, while Jonze brings a distinct filmmaking style to De'Longhi's latest campaign, "Hot or Cold, Always Perfetto."
De'Longhi is selling a machine that has to answer two different drinking habits at once.
Keeping Pitt while swapping directors each cycle gives De'Longhi a fixed face and a fresh creative signature with every launch.
Brad Pitt Gets a Spike Jonze Coffee Problem
The film opens with the actor making his way to his De'Longhi Magnifica Duo, trying to make a cup of coffee in peace.
His 16 dogs quickly make this impossible with witty retorts and demands.
Lawrence wants to know why he got up late, and Kyle wants to know why the dishes are not done.
Patrick, meanwhile, wants to know why the award-winning actor is dressed up.
The escalating interruptions give the spot plenty of room for awkward exchanges and visual comedy.
The freshly brewed coffee enters the frame as Pitt's small escape from the house.
"Your coffee. Your way. Always Perfetto," he said, closing the spot.
De'Longhi released the short film on September 8, two weeks before Pitt's new movie "Heart of the Beast" opens in theaters.
Paramount Pictures casts Pitt opposite a retired combat dog named Odin as they try to survive in the Alaskan wilderness.
The dog casting lets De'Longhi ride a press cycle that Paramount is already funding, with the comedy version arriving first.
The new Magnifica Duo makes 20 preset hot and iced recipes, including espresso, drip coffee, and cold brew.
Its LatteCrema Hot & Cool technology also supports hot and cold milk-based drinks.
The hot-or-cold rule keeps the comedy tight and gives every joke a product reason to exist.
The Magnifica Duo sells for $999.95 at DeLonghi.com and select retailers.
At-Home Coffee Gets More Specialized
The campaign arrives as coffee drinkers pull spending back into the kitchen.
Mintel's US Coffee and RTD Coffee report found that 35% of consumers are making coffee at home more often as prices rise.
National Coffee Association CEO William Murray reports that 48% of U.S. adults drank specialty coffee in the past day, rising to 57% among adults 25 to 39.
Murray puts past-week cold brew consumption at 21% of American adults, a 162% rise since 2016.
Cold coffee is the growth line that the Magnifica Duo's 20 hot and iced recipes are designed to cover.
Three things follow from these numbers for anyone selling premium coffee equipment:
- Make the premium product part of a daily habit. Equipment justifies its price when buyers reach for it every morning without thinking about it.
- Give the audience a recipe, not a feeling. Curiosity converts when people know exactly which drink to make first.
- Cover both temperatures in the product story. Hot and cold routines run on different clocks, and a machine that serves one loses half the day.
The cold side of the range is what gives De'Longhi a reason to charge four figures.
Our Take: Can Two Big Names Sell a $999.95 Coffee Machine?
De'Longhi is paying for two kinds of fame here, and only one of them is doing real work.
We think the machine will sell, and Pitt and Jonze are doing two different jobs here.
The "F1" actor has fronted the brand since 2021, long enough that a De'Longhi spot reads as one before the logo shows up
This continuity is worth real money in a category where the machines look alike on a shelf.
De'Longhi has swapped in a new name director for each recent film, which keeps the creative fresh around a fixed face.
Jonze is a strong hire, since his IKEA spot took a Cannes Film Grand Prix and his Kenzo film took a Titanium Lion.
In short, he knows what he's doing, and his skills will only serve to benefit the brand.
The launch timing also lets De'Longhi ride Paramount's marketing at no cost, since "Heart of the Beast" opens on September 25.
Two creators joined the Jonze shoot for the accompanying Perfetto Barista influencer campaign.
They will make their own hot-or-cold content from what they picked up on set.
The film makes the Magnifica Duo famous, and the creators show why it's worth $999.95.
Want to build a campaign that can travel from hero film to creator content?
Explore DesignRush's directory of top influencer marketing agencies.
