Fresh X MIRROR’s Jer Lau: A full-funnel strategy for Kombucha campaign

Celebrity endorsements can go a long way, but not all of them have the precision of Fresh’s all-new Kombucha Facial Treatment Essence campaign. While brands have battled to enlist any member of Hong Kong’s hottest boy band MIRROR, Fresh mindfully collaborated with Jer Lau as its ambassador, who aligned best with Fresh’s brand philosophy, resulting in a one-of-a-kind collaboration that harmonises seamlessly and naturally.

Inspired by Lau’s popular series of nature-themed hit singles, Fresh created a series of commercials that married the brand and the musician’s shared ideals. The “Ignite your Senses” video emphasised on the bond between one’s senses and nature. “Being natural is the key to a calm state of mind,” said Lau. The concept of the video was to simulate a gradual shift from the hustle of people's daily lives to the tenderness of nature, as the body relaxed and led the mind to immerse itself in the elements, tying into Fresh’s intrinsic connection to nature and natural ingredients.
The buzz was already humming before the official kick-off of the collaboration. A PR “leak” within online supporter groups and VIP connections was seeded as a preheat strategy to spark the target audience's interest, creating record-breaking levels of engagement. Several hundreds of online orders were placed in the first few minutes after the promo code was launched – more than 10 hours before the campaign videos being rolled out across public channels – and citywide awareness surrounding Fresh’s hero product was established, which continued to expand beyond Lau’s fanbase.

At launch, Fresh debuted a series of solutions, starting with ViuTV ads aired during MIRROR’s reality show. Working with Google Hong Kong, the brand adopted a full-funnel approach for the first time across all Google platforms. Fresh utilised customised YouTube CPM mastheads and TrueView campaigns to target high potential affinity audiences and viewers on MIRROR’s official music channel. They also drove consideration with YouTube discovery ads and Smart Shopping ads on Search, and further increased foot traffic to physical stores using local campaigns. This omnichannel media approach was able to successfully dominate the city’s eyes and ears. The brick-and-mortar stores extended the campaign's reach from online to offline, as the thematic video featuring Lau played on loop to delight buyers and remind them of the in-store offer.

The distribution of the limited-edition postcards further drove considerable creation of user-generated content, which was shared in fan channels, amplifying the reach of the campaign.

As a result, the brand was able to quantify a 200% uplift of return on ad spend and an 80% increase in the number of new customers, with many dormant or lapsed clients returning to purchase.

Sales of Kombucha Antioxidant Facial Treatment Essence accounted for 50% of all transactions on the brand’s website during the campaign period, brick-and-mortar stores also boasted record-breaking traffic since the outbreak of COVID-19 – a proof of the campaign’s success in achieving dual goals of branding and conversion.

This article is sponsored by Pontac.