Nescafé is a brand of instant coffee made by Nestlé. It comes in the form of many different products. The name is a portmanteau of the words "''Nestlé''" and "''café''". Nestlé's flagship powdered coffee product was introduced in Switzerland on April 1, 1938 after being developed for seven or eight years by Max Morgenthaler.

Branding and marketing [link]

In the United Kingdom, a television advertisement campaign starring Anthony Head and Sharon Maughan ran in 12 instalments between 1987 and 1993. The first 11 episodes were released as a promotional compilation video called ''Love Over Gold'' in 1993. A novelisation of the same name written by Susan Moody (under the pseudonym Susannah James) was released in the same year.

In 2003, the company reintroduced the Nescafé brand in the US, and the product is now known as ''Nescafé Taster's Choice''. It is sold in US supermarkets such as Safeway in both glass and plastic packaging.

While the Nescafé brand was created for soluble coffee, it has subsequently been used as an umbrella brand on a number of instant coffee products, including, in the UK, ''Gold Blend'' and ''Blend 37'' freeze-dried coffees.

In 2006, Nescafé launched the new coffee machine system "Dolce Gusto" ("sweet taste" in Italian). The system allows consumers to make various styles of coffees themselves (Cappuccino, Latte Macchiato, Espresso, Lungo, etc.). Additionally, hot chocolate and cold drinks can be prepared with the machine. The machines are now sold in more than 60 countries worldwide. Unlike other Nescafé products, most Dolce Gusto beverages use roasted and ground coffee, instead of instant coffee.

Other marketing activity included Experiential Marketing/Relationship Marketing, which led Nescafé to become the headline sponsor of Good Food show 2008 at Birmingham NEC as part of their campaign to drive awareness of the increased Nescafé collection. 95% of consumers at this popular event rated the Nescafé Collection stand the best at the show. Nescafé used advanced 3D technology to engage their consumers, led by iD Experiential.

In the UK in August 2009, Nescafé unveiled a £43m ad campaign for Nescafé, focusing on the purity of its coffee and featuring the strapline "Coffee at its brightest".

Lawsuits [link]

English band Muse successfully sued Nescafé in 2003 when its song "Feeling Good" was used in a television advert without permission, donating the £500,000 compensation to Oxfam.

Products [link]

Nescafé products include:

Nescafé have a speciality range which includes:

Nescafé have a Café Flavours range which includes:

References [link]

External links[link]

Category:Nestlé brands Category:Swiss brands Category:Coffee brands

Lawrence Gowan (born November 22, 1956) is a Scottish-born Canadian musician. Gowan has been both a solo artist and the current lead vocalist and keyboardist of the band Styx, since May 1999. His musical style is usually classified in the category of progressive rock.

Career[link]

After the band broke up five years later, Gowan began what was to become a successful solo career under the stage name Gowan, releasing his first album under that name in 1982, which was produced by Rob Freeman and featured Kim Mitchell of Max Webster on guitar. This album contained the singles "Victory", "Give In" and "Keep Up the Fight". His 1985 album ''Strange Animal'' was his commercial breakthrough in Canada, produced by British producer David Tickle and featuring a more 'theatrical' Gowan, backed by Peter Gabriel's rhythm section players Tony Levin and Jerry Marotta. The album spawned the hit singles "A Criminal Mind", "(You're a) Strange Animal", "Guerilla Soldier" and "Cosmetics". His 1987 follow up ''Great Dirty World'' gave him another hit single with "Moonlight Desires," featuring Jon Anderson (from Yes) on backing vocals as well as the fan favourite "Dedication".

1990's ''Lost Brotherhood'' had a harder rock sound, and featured such players as Red Rider member Ken Greer, ex Coney Hatch guitarist Steve Shelski and Rush's Alex Lifeson. It produced the singles "Lost Brotherhood", "All the Lovers in the World", and "Out of a Deeper Hunger". This was Gowan's first album for Anthem Records and his first US release.

He released the more acoustic, adult contemporary ''...but you can call me Larry'' in 1993 under his full name, returning to the Canadian pop charts with "When There's Time for Love", "Soul's Road" and "Dancing on My Own Ground". He subsequently released ''The Good Catches Up'' in 1995, which featured the single "Guns and God", which received moderate airplay in Canada. Also that same year, Gowan was part of an all-star lineup at Toronto's Massey Hall to celebrate Ronnie Hawkins' 60th birthday, as documented on the album ''Let It Rock'', sharing the stage with veteran rockers Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and The Band. In 1997, Gowan released two live CDs: ''Sololive - No Kilt Tonight'' containing a rendition of Ragtime's classic "King Chanticleer Rag", and ''Au Québec'' with a cover of Harmonium's "Pour un instant" as well as his first composition in French, "Stéphanie", for his fan base in Quebec.

In 1997, Gowan released "Healing Waters" as a tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales after her death. "Healing Waters" was officially an unreleased song from Gowan, though it was used in its original form, in the 1995 Jeff Wincott movie, ''When the Bullet Hits the Bone''.

His song "A Criminal Mind" was covered in 2005 by Canadian hip-hop artist Maestro; Gowan appears in the video and his vocals are sampled on the track. The song was also sampled in a song performed by Akon and Freck Billionaire.

He also guest-starred on the Canadian animated comedy series ''Chilly Beach''.

In February 2006, Gowan did four orchestra-accompanied concerts in London, Ontario and Kitchener, Ontario. Also in 2006, his home was featured on MTV's Cribs.

In March 2010, Gowan released "Return of the Strange Animal", a remastered version of 1985's "Strange Animal" plus a making-of documentary and music videos on DVD. In May 2010, Gowan performed two solo shows in support of the 25th anniversary of the "Strange Animal" album.

According to new photos on his official Facebook page, he is currently recording a new solo album in New York State.

Styx [link]

Tommy Shaw admired his talent and vibrant stage charisma, and called him in May 1999 asking him to tour with them for 53 dates, replacing their lead singer Dennis DeYoung. Since then, Gowan's classic hit, "A Criminal Mind", is often played by Styx.

DeYoung's absence proved a convenient opportunity for a more permanent restructuring of Styx – which had long been plagued by differences in artistic inclination. Gowan subsequently became the band's permanent vocalist. He says "I was in after the third gig".

Styx's 2003 album ''Cyclorama'' was Gowan's first studio album with the band. Gowan sings two songs on Cyclorama, "Fields of the Brave" and "More Love for the Money", both of which have an easily recognizable Gowan signature. He then continued recording with Styx for their 2005 album, ''Big Bang Theory''.

Awards and nominations[link]

On November 16, 1998, Gowan received the National Achievement Award from the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN).

In 2003, Gowan was presented with the SOCAN award (along with three other musicians) for songs that have surpassed the 100,000 radio airplay mark for his song, "Moonlight Desires".

In 2011, Gowan was presented with a star on the Scarborough Walk of Fame-Entertainment.

Discography[link]

Singles[link]

Original studio albums[link]

Compilation albums[link]

Live albums[link]

Live DVD[link]

With Styx [link]

External links[link]

References[link]

Category:1956 births Category:Canadian rock keyboardists Category:Canadian vegetarians Category:Canadian rock singers Category:Canadian singer-songwriters Category:Canadian tenors Category:Living people Category:People from Glasgow Category:The Royal Conservatory of Music alumni Category:Scottish emigrants to Canada Category:Styx members