Why is this work relevant for PR?

This is a fantastic case that displays new possibilities for public apologies. Zespri’s first public apology on Twitter became one of its most successful tweets of all time, generating tremendous PR impact and earned media value with zero media spending.

Background

“Tenbai” = Resellers on CtoC e-commerce sites is a growing issue in Japan. Most high-demand products are immediately hoarded by resellers, such as facemasks, sneakers and PS5. The scarcity of products and high resale prices grew anger among consumers. Zespri’s brand mascot “Kiwi Brothers” had become one of the most popular corporate characters in Japan with an enthusiastic fanbase. When Glow Magazine came out with a Kwi Brothers give-away (per each purchase), the magazine instantly sold out, and many were resold online with extremely high resale prices. Naturally, thousands complained about the lack of availability on Twitter. Many also mentioned that Zespri would have known about resellers buying out the products but didn’t even care. Zespri was in need for a move that improved the situation.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

In a crisis situation like this, especially when there is no fault in themselves, most Japanese companies lay low and try not to rock the boat. But Zespri decided to speak up. It was important to show care to dissatisfied fans and also bring this social issue up into the spotlight. We decided to use the energy of hate and anger towards resellers and turn it into love towards Zespri.

Describe the PR strategy (30% of vote)

Most apologies in Japan are very formal, and sent out by the PR devision as an official announcement. But we decided to use our beloved Kiwi Brothers as a spokesperson to create empathy towards Zespri among our angry fans. Our official Twitter account was an efficient channel to reach our fans as those who attempted the purchase would have already been following the account.

Describe the PR execution (20% of vote)

Our execution was a humble tweet from Zespri’s official Twitter account. The tweet was written not in an official corporate tone, but in the voice of the beloved Kiwi Brothers. This was tweeted only 3 hours after the problem broke out.

List the results (30% of vote)

Tier 1: Many news (TV and other media) picked up this incident, including the top morning news show, with the clip begining with the apology tweet. TV coverage reported for 6 minutes in average. The news segment resulted in 1.1 million USD in earned media. Tier 2: Top of Mind 13%→15% (vs LY) (Kantar) Unaided Brand Awareness 24.7%→27％ (vs LY) (Kantar) Brand Power 17.2%→17.6% (vs LY) (Kantar) Tier 3: Sales 106% (vs LY) (31.5 million trays), Kiwifruit Daily User 8%→10% (vs LY) (Kantar)