The Nestle-owned instant coffee brand signed up to sponsor the show in June 2002 as part of an effort to target 16- to 24-year-olds to help boost flagging sales.
The sponsorship was part of a £30m drive to win over a younger audience, who have turned their back on instant coffee in recent years. The brand has also been hit by the growing popularity of the coffee bar culture in the UK, created by high street chains such as Starbucks and Costa Coffee.
As well as its sponsorship of 'Hollyoaks', Nescafe signed a £1m tie-up with Ministry of Sound, Burger King and Shelter, including funding a £600,000 outdoor campaign for the homeless charity.
It also funded a Channel 4 show called 'Turning It Around', about young people's experiences of being homeless.
'Hollyoaks' is one of Channel 4's most popular shows among the much-sought-after 16- to 24-year-old audience. It was created in 1995 by 'Grange Hill' writer and 'Brookside' creator Phil Redmond.
When Nescafe signed the deal, the show was Channel 4's highest-rated programme in early peak viewing, attracting 5m viewers each week, predominantly 16- to 24-year-olds.
The £20m media planning and buying brief for Nescafe is handled by MindShare, which picked up the work in April after a review of Nestle's £60m media work across all UK brands. It was previously held by Universal McCann.
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