The Campaign

Ravaged by smog, toxic waste and exhaust, China is home to 16 of the world’s 20 most polluted cities. But as the population continues flexing its buying power, people understand that gambling with air quality means gambling with quality of life. Consumers have demonstrated a significant preference toward brands that demonstrate both product quality and ‘green’ environmental traits. So why not booming sales for Airmate, a domestic home electronics company that adheres to low-carbon, low-energy standards? Years of disconnected communications meant disproportionately low brand equity for Airmate. Surveys revealed only 61% of consumers recognised the brand at all, but all were familiar with competitors. Fighting for space on shelves, Airmate needed to reclaim their position as the eco-friendly brand consumers desired. Airmate partnered with the agency to launch a new and improved series of DC-III fan models, highlighting the brand’s environmentally-friendly offerings to ignite interest, create followers and increase sales. ‘Cycle to Your Green Life’ involved competitions where cyclists ‘raced’ on electricity-generating stationary bikes, powering DC-III fans. Those who generated the most ‘fan power hours’ received cycling trips to Tibet – a dream journey for cycling enthusiasts. Crowds gathered, bloggers predicted results and media ran stories about the cyclists who generated enough electricity to run the fans until 2018. Airmate received unprecedented attention as sales of an updated model increased four-fold year-over-year, with total DC-III sales resulting in a 13-fold revenue increase. Ad value reached 10.2 million RMB (1.6 million USD), seven times the 1.5 million RMB budget (235,000 USD).

The Brief

Airmate’s campaign objectives were to: • Increase consumer awareness, earning nationwide media coverage. • Sell 50,000 units total in H1 2012, in particular doubling sales of an updated 2011 model. The campaign would target primary buyers of electrical appliances – healthy men and women in China’s major cities, age 25 to 40, who maintain a high standard of living. Surveys revealed that only 61% of consumers and media recognised the brand at all. None were aware of Airmate’s product features but could recall those of leading competitor, Midea. Nearly everyone preferred ‘green’ products – playing right into Airmate’s biggest advantage.

Results

The campaign exceeded expectations: • 40.7265 kilowatts of electricity generated – enough to power the DC-III fan 8hrs a day until 2018. • 60 print clippings, TV coverage and online activity maintained consistent messaging. With zero ad spend and a 1.5 million RMB (235,000 USD) budget, earned coverage totaled 10.2 million RMB (1.6 million USD). • Over 98,000 units of DC-III series sold in H1 2012, including 28,407 of the updated model, compared to 7,800 in H1 2011. • 13.5-fold revenue increase, reaching 35.76 million RMB (5.6 million USD) from 2.63 million RMB (412,226 USD). ’The result is great, better than any other promotions before’. – Cai Zhengfu, Vice President, Airmate ‘The campaign was truly a demonstration of a breakthrough idea. All of the salespersons…believe that this activity made a positive influence on the sales of the product…Our brand image has improved greatly’. – Ding Hehua, China Marketing Director, Airmate

Execution

Pre Campaign Preparations: March 1 – April 20 The team sourced energy-generating stationary bicycles, recruited participants via cycling communities, created campaign mini-sites and identified sports platforms for stories. Campaign Launch: April 21 (Guangzhou), May 19 (Shanghai), May 26 (Beijing) In bustling commercial centres, ten selected competitors (sports enthusiasts, ‘iron ladies’, international cyclists, even the elderly) mounted tailor-made bicycles and raced to generate the most ‘hours of DC-III fan power’ in hopes of winning the tour to Tibet. Among cheering crowds, 139 traditional media outlets and 30 Weibo key opinion leaders reported the news. On-site contests and games engaged the wider audience, and instant competitions predicting the outcome resulted in major traffic to Airmate’s Weibo. Post Campaign Story: May – December En route to Tibet, competition winners continue sharing stories online. Selected posts are carried on Airmate’s Weibo, and a summary of their journey (once completed) will be distributed to media.

The Situation

This year, the president of the China Medical Association stated that, without improvements, air pollution will become the single biggest health threat to China’s 1.4 billion people. While national consumption shows little sign of slowing, consumers are making increasingly healthier, greener choices. Airmate’s newly expanded, low-energy product line – the DC-III fan, featuring one updated model and five all-new models for 2012 – was positioned to be a major hit. Despite ranking second in fans among China’s brands, a successful launch was not guaranteed. Disjointed communications resulted in low brand recognition, despite offering superior products that are environmentally-friendly.

The Strategy

Understanding this healthy and eco-conscious consumer group and promoting the product’s environmentally-friendly characteristics and tagline – Enjoy 52 cool days with only one kilowatt! – the agency developed the Cycle to Your Green Life campaign. The central component was an electricity-generating cycling competition. Amateur and professional cyclists would take part in a three-hour imaginary ride to Tibet on stationary exercise-type bicycles in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Electricity generated would power DC-III fans, and cyclists 'raced' to generate the most hours of fan-power. For example, three hours of riding might generate 1.5 kilowatts of energy – powering the fan for 624 hours. Top prizes would include an actual tour to Tibet, a dream journey for many cyclists. To maximise visibility and audience engagement, the team targeted national mass media and social media like Weibo (China’s Facebook and Twitter). Eye-catching contests in high-traffic locations would generate interest from bystanders and media.