Maxwell links coffee with friendship

<p>Maxwell House had been in China for some 10 years but it had not </p><p>been able to gain a significant foothold in the market during that </p><p>time. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>A change in strategy was, therefore, in order and the company assigned </p><p>MindShare to set out a marketing plan that aimed to establish a </p><p>coffee-drinking culture. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>But because China has traditionally been a tea-drinking society, the </p><p>marketing push was initially focused on Shanghai. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The Communication Strategy </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The communication objective was to position Maxwell House coffee as a </p><p>product that stimulates enjoyable conversations with friends. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The branding idea was to own 'what's on', which covered topics and news </p><p>in the entertainment world. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The target audience that was selected was young urban adults, aged </p><p>between 20 and 35, who were described as 'creative' and 'funseekers', </p><p>yearning for a new experience. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>They were also described as sociable, liked to share good times with </p><p>friends, were more open to new ideas and tended to be early </p><p>adopters. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The Creative Strategy </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The core strategy was to provide a catalyst that would induce a </p><p>stimulating conversation piece. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The approach of being slightly irreverent, sometimes slightly on the </p><p>edge, fitted well with the target consumers. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The Media Strategy </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The media mix campaign that was developed by MindShare included: </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>- TV programme sponsorship of Music Motion on Shanghai TV </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>- Sponsored weekly events listing column in Shanghai Times </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>- Radio announcements during pop music hour on Joy FM </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>- Sponsored Internet page featuring entertainment events on Shanghai </p><p>Online </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The Internet was a key component of the mix as it enhanced the </p><p>positioning of Maxwell House as a brand that creates stimulating </p><p>conversations - in this case, via the chat room. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The Outcome </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>With a multimedia campaign that reached the target audience at various </p><p>but relevant contact points, Maxwell House was able to build a holistic </p><p>image of the brand and the association with 'what's on' in Shanghai. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>There was also a visible increase in sales. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Additionally, the campaign achieved one of the highest click-through </p><p>rates in China at more than six per cent for the Internet </p><p>sponsorship. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>(The average click-through rate in the country is 0.5 per cent). </p><p><BR><BR> </p>