We made an application based on our insight, in order to virally spread our message across Facebook. The application allowed people to send virtual Lacta chocolates to their loved ones on Facebook, comparing them to Lacta’s sweet taste.

Users could choose among the 4 different Lacta flavours and write their lover’s name on the chocolate wrapper, in place of the actual Lacta brand. As a result, the sender appeared to post a message on the Facebook wall of the recipient, visible to all their friends, saying: "You might not be Lacta, but you are the sweetest part of my life!"

Lacta is the leading chocolate brand in Greece. Its advertising, targeting 18-24 male & females, has always been about people in "love", comparing the feeling to Lacta's sweet taste. Its slogan translates to "Lacta - The sweetest part of your life".

Our goal was to promote Lacta’s Facebook page, and grow the number of fans and their engagement through Social Media.

While building the Facebook strategy for Lacta, we came upon a unique insight: People were comparing their loved ones to Lacta chocolate, writing, "you might not be Lacta, but you’re the sweetest part of my life."The application was first posted on the Facebook page of the brand, effectivly reaching the 87.000 existing fans "directly" through their Facebook newsfeed.

From then onwards it spread virally from the Facebook updates users generated themselves.

The application quickly became a viral hit in Greece, with 150.000 people sharing more than 350.000 virtual Lacta chocolates and many users substituting their profile image with their dedicated Lacta.

This helped Lacta's Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/Lacta) grow by 210%, into the biggest page for any brand in Greece, numbering more than 270.000 fans, accounting to 9% of all Greek Facebook users!In a -8% dropping market for chocolate in Greece, during the first quarter of 2011, Lacta’s sales have gone up 9%, according to Nielsen Scanners report.

The application allowed users to fulfil a basic communication need in an exciting new way. It allowed them to express their love and to do it publicly, in front of all their friends, on Facebook. The branding made that declaration of love even more special as it personalized all the positive associations people already had with the Lacta brand.By adapting our brand and slogan into a powerful message between two people in love, we managed to convey the brand values and spread the campaign virally, across thousands of users.