WHO FRAMED MASTER KONG?

TitleWHO FRAMED MASTER KONG?
BrandMASTER KONG
Product / ServiceCONVENIENCE FOODS AND BEVERAGES
CategoryA04. Crisis Communications & Issue Management
EntrantWEBER SHANDWICK Shanghai, CHINA
PR Agency WEBER SHANDWICK Shanghai, CHINA
Entrant Company WEBER SHANDWICK Shanghai, CHINA

Credits

Name Company Position
Kung Ju Chen Tingyi Holding Corp Head Of Public Relations
Stephanie Yu Weber Shandwick Senior Vice President
Owen Tan Weber Shandwick Associate Director
Wansan Tsai Weber Shandwick Account Director
Severus Bi Weber Shandwick Consultant
Dara Zhang Weber Shandwick Senior Associate
Gregor Hastings Weber Shandwick Senior Associate
Reezal Esa Weber Shandwick Account Director
Katrina Foxe Myburgh Weber Shandwick Head Of Marketing Asia Pacific
Amanda Mohar Weber Shandwick Marketing Manager Asia Pacific
Gabrielle Lukes Mooney Weber Shandwick Marketing Executive Asia Pacific
John Lam CMG Studio Digital Designer
Ka Wai Ng CMG Studio Videographer

The Campaign

In late 2012, as Sino-Japanese relations soured over the disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands, many Japanese companies in China suffered boycotts, sending sales figures tumbling. Whilst not of Japanese origin, Master Kong, China’s No. 1 selling instant noodle brand, found itself impacted by the melee as its competitors fanned rumours on social media that it was a “Japanese company”, pointing towards Japanese investment in its parent brand as proof. With no existing social platform of its own, Master Kong’s ability to engage with its consumers and address these allegations in real time was severely limited. As negative sentiment against the company spread, it was faced with the burgeoning challenge of winning back the affinity it had previously enjoyed. The brand was perceived by younger audiences as being old and out-of-touch so this exacerbated the situation. Against this backdrop, Master Kong and its PR agency tackled the rumours head-on by bringing them to the forefront and developed a strategic communications campaign that silenced the lies with truth. Consumers would discover for themselves “Who Framed Master Kong?”. Targeting the most active social media users, the four-step approach of analysing data, managing opinion, guiding discussions and harnessing Search Engine Optimisation succeeded in illuminating the truth, inspiring a social media movement to uphold Master Kong’s innocence, and building a 1.2 million-strong social media following from nought. The brand earned the distinction of being China’s #1 F&B brand for online brand equity and emerged from the crisis with a 17.1% growth in sales in 2012-2013.

The Brief

During the research stage, the agency’s comprehensive social media monitoring system identified over 160,000 negative comments and conversations about the brand online as a result of the perceived Japanese link. It became apparent that in order for Master Kong to diffuse the rumours and re-invigorate its image, it needed to particularly engage with students and young professionals aged between 15-30 from major Chinese cities as not only are they instrumental in shaping sentiment about the brand online, they are also the biggest consumers of FMCG products such as those produced by Master Kong.

Results

As it became clear that Master Kong had been unfairly attacked, the question of who was out to destroy the brand went viral on Weibo, clocking 145,000,000 views and generating 11,600 comments – over 78% of which were supportive. 56,868 reposts further spread the message of Master Kong’s innocence and analytics showed that 60% believed Master Kong was framed. Prior to the campaign, the top five Baidu search results on the company were negative. Within a few months, these search results had all but disappeared, replaced by positive mentions. By end 2013, Master Kong was ranked China’s No. 1 F&B brand, based on Baidu’s 2013 Online Brand Equity List. Genuine engagement and relevant content meant Master Kong’s newly established Weibo quickly amassed 1,200,000+ followers, refreshing its image among its target audience. And despite the fate of other companies caught up in the anti-Japanese backlash, Master Kong’s sales grew 17.10% in 2012-2013.

Execution

An online listening mechanism was put in place to identify the parties responsible for spreading the rumours and analyse the opinions being voiced as a result. With the establishment of Master Kong’s Weibo channel, it was able to directly participate in, and control online chatter about the brand on the platform as well as engage its audiences in topics such as nutrition, food safety, lifestyle and product facts. Apart from presenting evidence that demonstrated how the brand had been maliciously framed, the agency also engaged influential key opinion leaders and media to credibly substantiate Master Kong’s position in relation to the rumours, amplify its side of the story and speak out against unethical rumour mongering by its competitors. Aided by the efforts illustrated above, all references of Master Kong being Japanese were gradually cleared from the top search results on the brand on Baidu, China’s most important search engine.

The Situation

Master Kong is owned by Tingyi Holding Corp., listed in Hong Kong with investments from around the world, including Japan. When the Japanese government purchased a group of small islands, also claimed by China, from a private owner in late 2012, protests raged in major Chinese cities. Japanese companies were attacked and their sales plummeted by up to 30%. Master Kong’s competitors seized the opportunity to acquire its market share by framing it as a “Japanese company”. The rumours spread and soon China’s social media was alight with negative comments about Master Kong.

The Strategy

The campaign was built around the core idea that far from championing Chinese patriotism, Master Kong was in fact unjustifiably framed by competitors with malicious, self-serving commercial agendas. However, rather than explicitly ‘pointing the finger’ and stating that the rumours were unfounded, the strategy was to lay down compelling evidence that demonstrated there was a calculated attempt to slander the company with untruths, and allow the public to join the conversation and make their own informed judgement about Master Kong. This effort would be propelled by a robust Master Kong presence on Weibo – China’s largest social media platform – allowing it to directly engage with its audiences not only in correcting flawed perceptions about the company, but also to proactively initiate and participate in a wide range of topics that touched Master Kong and its products, thereby building an online persona which audiences found relatable, relevant and likeable.