"University"

19 May 2025

60s

Home and away.

This thoughtful commercial claims Costa Coffee is coffee made with heart. Not an actual heart, of course—that would be a health and safety disaster—it just means the brand puts care into every espresso, cappuccino, flat white, and more. It would never call its rivals lazy or anything like that, but viewers are welcome to read between the lines.

A lot of care has gone into agency VML and director Tony Barry's commercial about a young woman who flies the nest for university. After what might be the last coffee they drink together for a while, the protagonist boards a train to start her academic adventure. Only it's a quieter, lonelier introduction to campus life than she expected.

Somehow, mum knows her coffee buddy needs a pick-me-up, and the advertised app lets her ping a complimentary flat white her daughter's way. When a fellow fresher walks through the door, the two share a sweet, knowing smile—we don't need to see her phone screen to know she's also been sent the gift of coffee from home.

UK

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