The Campaign

Traditionally, Chinese New Year is a time for reunion, a time when the whole family gets together. But, in recent years, we have observed that the younger consumers are not as keen to get together as their parents and some even avoid going back to their parents’ home or/and cut short their stay. Part of the reason is the generational gap. The meaning of Chinese New Year has become diminished.

Execution

We organized five family interventions, each family representing different a different socioeconomic demographic within China, to take them all on a journey to rediscover the preciousness of the 45 days they have to spend together. We conducted video interviews with children and parents separately, asking them to reveal the unspoken truths they dare not share with family. Then, we showed parents the video of their child and vice versa. Finally, we revealed the 45 days statistic to the younger generation, and staged surprise visit from their parents, creating an opportunity to reconnect in an intimate way.

The video campaign was successful in generating brand awareness during the critical holiday period. From the video launch on February 9 2015, until March 13 2015, the videos in total earned 6,359,837 video views and 5,266 likes across social media platforms including iQiyi, Youku, Sohu, QQ, PPTV, Funshion, Xunlei, 163, Letv.

The Situation

Gathering the family together for the Chinese New Year feast is an important ritual for Coca Cola in China. 45 Days was a viral video campaign to remind young Chinese that their time with their parents is limited, and that the best way to invest that time is to have quality conversations with their parents. Coca Cola wanted to remind China of the brand and product role for the holidays in a way that touches hearts and creates top of mind awareness to complement their promotional CNY campaign.

The Strategy

We observed that Chinese families have a hard time with conversations, especially during the holidays. Parents and children often have conflicting expectations about life and career, and with a vast cultural gap created by China’s development, little else to talk about. This problem is further compounded by the fading magic of Chinese New Year festivities: young Chinese increasingly have other leisure activities pulling them away from home and their parents. The truth is that as we grow older, the time we share with our parents is limited. In the moment, with our busy lives, choosing to stay away from them seems insignificant. But add all those moments together, and how many chances do we really have? Our strategy was to re-frame time spent with parents as a limited and precious resource, and to create new urgency to use the time we have to have great conversations with our parents.