Rather than focusing on the problem, we focused on how easy it was for people to reverse the environmental impact of every purchase - through a simple reversible barcode.

The barcode became the hero in all our communications:

IGNORE: When customers make a purchase and scan it as normal, they pay the normal price

SAVE: But if they turn the barcode upside down, one extra dollar will be charged and donated to help offset the impact of every purchase

First, we spread the word with our fans on Weibo (Chinese version of Twitter). Then we launched a promotional video on Youku and Tudou (Chinese versions of YouTube).

Digital, print and prominent point-of-sales materials (including a 12-page booklet) made our message unavoidable.

Through this integrated media mix, the strength of the idea was clear: turning a simple barcode upside down can now turn an environmental problem on its head, quite literally.

In the first month alone, 63% of customers voluntarily made a donation by reversing their barcodes

Sales volume went up by 19% - making it Life Nutrition’s most successful promotion campaign to date

What’s more, Life Nutrition is now rolling out Reversible Barcodes in other countries. So this is just the start