The coffee category has boomed in recent years, with the UK alone reportedly consuming a staggering 95 million cups a day. Despite this, the space is still largely dominated by celeb-backed mega brands (George Clooney has been the face of Nespresso for almost two decades) and the pastel-hued, treat culture-infused aesthetic of chains like Blank Street Coffee.

Known for its potent coffee concentrate and unfiltered tone, Solo Coffee has built a loyal following in both trade and consumer circles since it was founded in 2018. Channelling its tagline, ‘Coffee for degenerates’, earlier this year it relaunched its Instagram as a meme-led entertainment channel focused on the euphoric and sometimes unhinged energy of caffeine.

As part of the brand’s mission to wage war on what it calls “aesthetic coffee marketing”, its new campaign to promote its Ready-to-Go Espresso landing in Tesco stores opens with a police bodycam raid and ends with a severed head in a fridge.

Solo worked with Goon Squad – the production company founded by viral YouTuber Josh Pieters – on the lo-fi 90-second spot, which follows a group of friends having brunch. As they discuss “liking your coffee like you like your men”, the story quickly spirals into a surreal horror parody that feels more like a bite-sized Black Mirror episode.

“We wanted to dramatise the feeling Solo gives you – that sharp, focused hit where everything feels possible,” says Theo Garcia, Solo co-founder and head of brand. “That feeling of unbothered chaos that comes from the main character in the film is the energy we’re channelling. This isn’t coffee for lazy Sundays. It’s for people who want to take the day by the throat.”

It’s an approach that feels ready-made for TikTok-era attention spans, as well as tapping into the horror genre’s ongoing renaissance both in pop culture and the marketing world, as seen with recent ads from Tonal, Apple and Ovo.

Credits:
Head of Brand: Theo Garcia
Production Company: Goon Squad