Nespresso, Espresso Machine Maker, Plans TV Ads in U.S. NESPRESSO, a division of Nestlé that sells single-serve espresso machines and capsules of coffee worldwide, is introducing its first United States television advertising on Monday. The 30-second spot, which will run on national network and cable television, is intended to introduce Nespresso to a wider audience of American coffee drinkers, among whom single-serve coffee machines are gaining popularity. The advertising also could help Nespresso fend off new competition from Starbucks, which will introduce its Verismo single-cup espresso machine in the fall; and from collaborators Cuisinart and Illycaffé, and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and Luigi Lavazza, which are developing single-serve espresso machines. Michael C. Bellas, chairman and chief executive of Beverage Marketing, a consulting company, said: "Over the last 10 years, the growth of the single-cup pod coffee market has been phenomenal. The category provides variety, customization and good-tasting products that hit consumers where they are. Sales of coffee for these systems have grown in the high double digits in the last three to four years, jumping 66.1 percent last year, he added. Larry Finkel, director of food and beverage research for MarketResearch.com, said an online survey by his company last September found that 21 percent of respondents in households where noninstant coffee was made owned an electric single-cup coffeemaker. Mr. Finkel said the market was dominated by Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and its Keurig K-Cup brewing system. Other companies, besides Nespresso, that offer such systems include Kraft Foods, which makes the Tassimo brand, and Mars, which makes Flavia. According to Mitchell Pinheiro, a packaged goods analyst for Janney Capital Markets, only 15 percent of Nespresso sales worldwide are generated in the United States; of Nespresso's 2011 global sales of 3.5 billion Swiss francs ($3.9 billion), sales in the United States were 525 million Swiss francs ($579 million). Nespresso, he added, generated 20 percent of parent company Nestle's total sales growth in the 2011 fiscal year. "With that much growth and very strong competition coming into the U.S. market, it makes sense for it to step up its marketing to protect its brand," Mr. Pinheiro said. In addition, in the United States, Nespresso sales have jumped 20 to 25 percent in the last two years, compared with "the 1 to 2 percent growth we're accustomed to seeing for packaged goods," Mr. Pinheiro said. This growth is very important to Nespresso; they have to protect it. There hasn't been any meaningful competition to date. Nespresso has sold its machines and coffee capsules in the United States for about 10 years. It sells capsules of 16 blends of coffee and two limited-edition flavors, as well as nine models of machines for home use. The machines are sold at the company's four boutiques in New York, Boston and Miami, with a fifth scheduled to open in San Francisco this fall; on its Web site, nespresso.com; and at retailers like Macy's, Bloomingdale's and Williams-Sonoma. The only way consumers can buy capsules of coffee is directly from Nespresso, either through home delivery or in the boutiques. Nespresso machines for home use range from $149 to $2,500, while single-serve capsules range from 60 cents to 68 cents each. The company's new television commercial, by the Martin Agency, part of the Interpublic Group of Companies, initially leads viewers to believe they are in a cafe, illuminated by romantic lighting. A woman - who is not fully shown - chooses a coffee capsule from a Nespresso box, inserts it into a machine and makes a cup of coffee, topped with frothy milk. At the end of the spot, the woman is seen draped in a towel, standing by a window in her home. The voice-over says, "I found the best cafe in the world, Nespresso, where there's a grand cru to match my every mood, where just one touch creates the perfect cup, where no one makes a better cappuccino, latte or espresso than me, and where clothing is optional." The spot concludes with the tagline, "Nespresso, the best cafe, yours." It will run nationally, starting Monday, on cable channels like Fox News and the Weather Channel in the early morning, and on network shows like "Private Practice," "House" and "60 Minutes." Martin has redesigned Nespresso's United States Web site and created new point of purchase material for its retailers. Digital advertising will begin in May. According to Franz Niedermair, vice president for marketing for Nespresso North America, the new campaign is aimed at "coffee lovers interested in a great coffee experience at home." He said the company deliberately had not used George Clooney - who appears in Nespresso advertising in Europe, Asia and Latin America - in the campaign because it wanted the focus to be on educating American consumers about the Nespresso system. In the United States in recent years, Nespresso has advertised in regional editions of magazines and newspapers - like Food & Wine, Town & Country, Esquire and The Wall Street Journal - and in trade publications. According to Kantar Media, its annual advertising spending has ranged from $28,000 in 2007 to $2.8 million in 2010. Nespresso executives declined to disclose the budget for the new campaign. Mr. Niedermair said Nespresso was changing its advertising strategy now "to address increasing consumer demand, which we have been getting across the nation." He added, "We needed to address this demand and drive awareness with national network TV." He said the company began planning the television campaign last October, before many competing single-cup espresso systems were announced. "The demand for high-end coffee increases every year in the market, and it's a logical step for more people to come into the market," he said. Debra Mednick, executive director of home for NPD Group, a market research company, called television advertising by small kitchen appliance manufacturers "atypical." For example, according to Kantar Media, from 2007 to 2011, last year was the only one in which Keurig advertised on television, spending $2 million.