| Title | OLD FOOD COMPANY CONNECTS WITH NEW GENERATION |
| Brand | COFCO |
| Product / Service | GRAIN, OILS AND FOODSTUFFS |
| Category | A08. Best Use of Social Media Marketing |
| Entrant | MEDIACOM Shanghai, CHINA |
| Entrant Company: | MEDIACOM Shanghai, CHINA |
| Media Agency: | MEDIACOM Shanghai, CHINA |
| Name | Company | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Christina Guo | COFCO | Assistant of General Manager |
| Dan He | COFCO | Media Director |
| Yi Zhang | COFCO | Senior Media Manager |
| Yang Jiao | MediaCom Beijing | Managing Director |
| Sarah He | MediaCom Beijing | Business Director |
| Christina Liang | MediaCom Beijing | Planning Manager |
| Sophie Wang | MediaCom Beijing | Media Planner |
| Michelle Zhao | MediaCom Beijing | Media Planner |
| James Wu | MediaCom China | Managing Partner, MediaCom Interaction China |
| Sue Huang | MediaCom Beijing | Planning Director |
| Crystal Zhao | MediaCom Beijing | Digital Planning Manager |
| Harvy Wu | MediaCom Beijing | Digital Planner |
- In 2010, 30% of consumers increased their purchases of COFCO brand products. - Over 230,000 people followed our official microblog and reflected on special moments in their lives. - The campaign generated 2,075,530,374 impressions and 801,232 microblog postings at a time when there were only 50 million people using microblogs in China. - Key COFCO brands enjoyed a leap in awareness between 2009 and 2010, as a result of our campaign: Great Wall Wine went from 55% to 74%; Leconte Chocolate from 37% to 64%; and Jiajiakang Meat from 13% to 45%.
We created a COFCO-branded micro-blog platform with SINA.com. To build that fresh, emotional connection with consumers, we set topics related to memories and food. We asked: ‘What was your favourite dish your mum used to cook?’ and ‘Which is the best place for a first date?’ Consumers could also share their images of great meals with friends. It was all about igniting positive memories of food and family gatherings to help remind consumers of how COFCO contributes to a ‘beautiful life’. The theme for the platform was ‘Beautiful Life@COFCO’, to tie in with COFCO’s brand sponsorship of the ‘Better City, Better Life’ themed Shanghai Expo 2010. We then mobilized celebrities to share their memories on the forum and in media interviews to build traffic.
We needed to keep the COFCO brand alive in the hearts and minds of a younger, new media generation. As one of China’s oldest companies – making everything from rice and noodles to cooking oil and fruit juice – it was being overlooked. And to make things worse, it was seen as old-fashioned. So we took the radical step of pioneering the commercial use of microblogging (just as the trend was taking off in China) to change that perception. But rather than telling consumers that COFCO’s juice is fresh or its noodles are tasty, we invited them to share precious memories that would ignite a fresh, emotional connection with the brand. And part of our idea was to harness a new passion in China – sharing photos of meals with online friends.