The Campaign

A WDFT study showed that 60% of Hong Kong people only spent 1 or 2 days each week eating with their families due to long hours at work, opting for convenient takeout that is poor in nutrition. However, in home dining with family remains an important value of Chinese culture. It is socially viewed that eating together at a round table tightens the bond between family members. There is also no greater taste than a mother’s cooking. Therefore, we leveraged on strong Chinese family dining values to promote a healthier diet habit, by speaking to the working group to encourage family bonding through a “Go Home for Dinner” social campaign. We want to bring the message of treasuring the family dining moment to audiences in Hong Kong. We also partnered with Feeding Hong Kong, a non-profit organization that brings awareness to food insecurity in Hong Kong.

Creative Execution

We released the video online, building an emotional hook. Clarence, spoke longingly of his mom’s cooking while reflecting on having fewer dinners at home due to work; he was then surprised with a meal cooked by his mom as he watched a recording of her describing her love when she cooks for her son. Joyce then reminisces her own family, breaking down into tears as the production crew surprised her with a meal of her mom’s signature dishes. The video concludes as Joyce encourages people to treasure the family dining moment before it’s too late. A series of social content followed on Facebook, to support and lead up to “Home Dining Day” on Oct. 10, selected as two 10’s signify reunion in Chinese culture. We encouraged audience to reflect on their own experiences of home dining and inspired them to tell their own stories.

Viral Effect - 1.5 million views within the first week, 75 times the market norm in Hong Kong; generated 1,000 positive conversations and over 50,000 shares; more than 80 free media coverage equivalent to around 10 million in media value; reached more than 3 million Hong Kong residents, around 50% of the total population, where 90% was all organic reach; top tier Hong Kong celebrities voluntarily shared the story and helped promotion. Awareness - Audiences echoed the message of treasuring the family dining moment, showing regrets or expressing longing to eat with their families; overall home dining increased. Business Results - More than 10,000 Knorr products were purchased within the first two weeks; total Knorr brand value raised 19.8% with overall share increasing 337bps; Knorr Chicken Powder boosted 41.4% and 727bps in terms of value and share, respectively. Charity - donated a total of 10,000 meals to Feeding Hong Kong.

This work is an example of how we used a digital social platform and engaging content to form an emotional connection between Knorr and its consumers. Embracing both emotional values and building trust between brand and people, we reminded Hong Kong of the importance of dining with family in Chinese culture, and encouraged them to treasure family dining moments. This positive brand message allows Knorr to build trust with their consumers, increase their sales, and continue building their brand within the Hong Kong market.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

While the main consumers of Knorr products are stay home moms who cook, a core issue is that the working class no longer dined at home. We chose to use social media in order to reach large audiences of the working class with a viral effect, to spread the message of dining at home, and inspire them with the value of family. We filmed a video that followed a mother and son as they each shared personal sentiments on what a home-cooked meal means to them. A well-known celebrity in Hong Kong, Joyce Cheng, hosted the interaction; as her late mother was also a celebrity, they are recognized in Hong Kong as the true epitome of love between mother and daughter. The video was non-scripted to capture the raw emotions of Clarence, his mom, and Joyce Cheng, in order to authentically move the audiences watching it.