Clooney Ad Sparks Coffee Feud

European rivals fight over 'coffee in heaven' campaign
By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 17, 2009 3:36 PM CST

An ad featuring George Clooney and John Malkovich has sparked a feud between European coffee marketers. In Nespresso's new spot, Clooney dies and goes to heaven but works out a deal by trading St. Peter—aka Malkovich—a Nespresso coffee maker. Rival company Lavazza says the concept is a ripoff of its long-running "coffee in heaven" campaign, reports Advertising Age.

"It's hard to resist the conclusion that it was copied from ours," said Lavazza CEO Gaetano Mele. "The whole thing is very similar." But Nespresso disagreed: "We absolutely do not share Lavazza's opinions. ... The after-life is a cultural reference, not particularly linked to just one brand, which has been used as a setting for countless books, songs, films and advertisements." (More George Clooney stories.)

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