We used TV, outdoor, Weibo (China’s version of Twitter), events, point-of-sale and on-product packaging, to drive China’s youth to our new microsite: BenNaNa Island. Set against the backdrop of a fun tropical island full of BenNaNa monkeys, we recreated the fun experience of eating the product through a wide range of games, magic tricks and votes to win prizes. We even integrated into the hugely popular ‘QQ Pets’ site by embedding a BenNaNa monkey. On the site, users feed and care for their virtual pet. The more they played BenNaNa games, the more they were rewarded with the gamers’ currency of choice – QQ diamonds! This was the first extensive product collaboration on China’s biggest gaming platform. It was also a digital experience that converted users to trying a BenNaNa for real.

An immersive engagement strategy can launch a new ice cream brand in China successfully. In fact, it can deliver:

o Nestlé’s top-selling ice cream in China.

o sales 150% in excess of annual targets in just three months.

o over 10 million unique users on QQ with over 100 million clicks.

o BenNaNa being mentioned 4.5 million times on Weibo in just three months (a massive increase on what competitors achieved in the same period).

o 75,000 Weibo fans.

o consumers asking online where they could find the product.