Results and Effectiveness

The campaign did more than meet Renren.com's registration goal, it created a social topic in media. Millions of stories were spread, resulting in emotional reunions around China. Suddenly Renren.com was seen as a site for everyone, not just university students. During the campaign, more than 20 million new people registered with Renren.com, with new monthly registrations increasing from 2 million/month to 6.7 million/month.

Creative Execution

We used the power of real people and real stories to attract our target. We began with a viral campaign, WHERE ARE YOU to remind people of the ones they had lost touch with, and to hint that there were people looking for them. Our campaign site invited people to register, and tell us stories about the people they wanted to re-connect with. The most touching stories were re-enacted in emotional television commercials. And as people were reunited, we featured them in our print and outdoor advertising. TV and print were extremely important in reaching our target where they lived and work. Media was intimately linked, and brought the power of real people and real stories to life in a compelling way.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

China's leading social network site for university students, Xiaonei.com (meaning ON CAMPUS) changed its name to Renren.com (meaning EVERYONE) in order to appeal to a broader market. Our brief was to attract young professionals aged 25-35 that had yet to register on the site. (Until the re-branding, our target felt the site was simply for students) To accomplish this, we tapped into the most powerful unmet need-- the desire to re-connect with lost friends and family. Because Renren.com is the only social network site in China that requires people to register their real name, we knew we had a compelling, unique and relevant benefit.