Why is this work relevant for Media?

As part of its brand purpose, KangShiFu wanted to find a way to support Chinese girls in finding and showcasing their unique identity and attitudes, while differentiating its newly launched zero-sugar iced tea in an increasingly competitive and saturated market. By creating a unique brand experience via its branded reality TV show, Girls Like Us, KangShiFu was able to not only give girls a wide-reaching platform to do this, amassing an army of ambassadors in the process, but also create a plethora of branded content to drive eCommerce conversions and sales.

Background

In 2021, when KangShiFu unveiled its Zero-Sugar Iced Tea, it had two key objectives: Finding a unique way to elevate brand awareness and affinity with its target audience, young girls, as well as synergising content with eCommerce to drive sales. Three challenges stood in KangShiFu’s way of achieving its goals: KangShiFu’s regular iced tea is already a household name among Chinese consumers, which means its zero-sugar variant would need to make a copious effort to differentiate itself from the original in order to make a splash in the Chinese market. KangShiFu also faced vigorous competition from other sugar-free beverage makers and was in dire need of crafting a unique brand image for its new product. Finally, KangShiFu needed to articulate the benefits of its zero-sugar iced tea in a way that builds emotional resonance among its target audience.

Describe the creative idea / insights (30% of vote)

Post pandemic, nearly three quarters of Chinese consumers have become increasingly health-oriented in their purchase decisions, dramatically intensifying competition in the sugar-free beverage category. Adding to this, KangShiFu knew that girls in China are generally expected to be ‘sweet’ by taking on an accommodating personality. This changed, however, as more young women start to break down stereotypes and prioritise independence and strength. Hip-hop, a once underground culture in China, is now one such mainstream art form where the young female generation can make themselves heard.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

KangShiFu wanted to help Chinese girls dismantle the stereotype that girls need to be sweet in order to be powerful, just like KangShiFu's new zero-sugar iced tea. So, it launched China’s first all-female hip-hop reality (variety) show: ‘Girls Like Us’, which was streamed on Tencent’s platforms. Girls across China were invited to audition for the show, Girls Like Us, and take part in the social movement as an ambassador for girls across China! During ‘Tear Down the Labels’ session, contestants would physically tear down labels delineating gender norms and use that as a musical inspiration for their next hip-hop creation.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

During the performances, KangShiFu’s Zero-Sugar Iced Tea was promoted using special effects and branded gestures, connecting the drink to the core message of ‘Powerful Without Sugar’, highlighting that girls don't need to be sweet to be successful. To link its branded content to eCommerce and drive sales, fans could tune into exclusive Tmall livestreams hosted by their favourite contestants and buy limited edition bottles of KangShiFu’s Zero-Sugar Iced Tea. Furthermore, KangShiFu hosted ‘Home Delivery by Celebrity’ on China’s leading food delivery app Meituan. Fans who ordered the Iced Tea via Meituan went in the draw to have the drink delivered by the reality show’s overall champion. To promote the show, KangShiFu called on China’s top female KOLs to speak up against gender labels alongside the reality show's contestants, posting videos on China's leading social platform, Weibo, to spark conversations around female empowerment.

List the results (30% of vote)

KangShiFu’s campaign ignited a social movement in China, with over 200M topic views [Translation of Topic: #PowerfulWithoutSugar], 900K personal anecdotes on battling gender stereotypes, and support from more than 23 mainstream news outlets across the country (e.g., People’s Daily and China News Weekly) that brought in an extra 120M impressions.

Please tell us how the brand purpose inspired the work

KangShiFu's brand purpose focuses on the concept of having a 'unique identity'. As part of this, KangShiFu wanted to find a way to help girls - one of the most pressured groups for centuries within Chinese society - to break the boundaries of being forced to act a certain way, and instead encourage them to showcase their strong, independent, unique and diverse attitudes.