Dolly Parton’s Cup of Ambition turns a ‘9 to 5’ lyric into a coffee brand
Dolly Parton’s ‘Cup of Ambition’ coffee has launched nationwide with one of the final commercials filmed by the singer before her death, turning a famous lyric from “9 to 5” into a brand idea more than 40 years in the making.
Parton filmed three commercials for the coffee line in July, a month before her death aged 80.
The first spot sees her getting ready for the day with a pink, bejewelled guitar and matching coffee mug, rooting the product firmly in the familiar world of Dolly.
“I thought the Cup of Ambition would be a fantastic name for a coffee brand, and I’ve been working towards this for over 40 years,” Parton said in June.
The launch, timed for National Coffee Day, was developed with family-owned roaster Community Coffee.
It follows the same music-to-product logic seen in Sabrina Carpenter’s Dunkin’ tie-up, where a pop culture association with coffee became a physical product.
The film was directed by TK McKamy and produced by Olly Rowland of NOZ Entertainment.
Community Coffee owner Donna Saurage said: “Dolly had a warmth that made you feel like you’d known her forever.”
Sales will support Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, while a travelling sampling campaign will take the Dolly Coffee Trolley to music venues, universities and selected live productions.
The coffee category has produced some unusually literal creative ideas recently, including De’Longhi’s tiny café campaign.
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