The online ‘Bring Your Tastiest Bowl’ campaign was intended at inspiring consumers to use Quaker Oats in creating a tasty treat that would change its image from a boring health food to an exciting and versatile medium. But how does one bring an online campaign alive on-ground, how does one get people excited about participating, increase awareness of the brand and get people to experience its vast benefits? We were given that task.
Staying true to the digital campaign, we created exciting and versatile on-ground experiences that involved consumers at locations where they make everyday food choices – the nearest modern trade outlet. Different activation formats were conceptualised, to customise the activation according to the retail chain, keeping in mind the value it would add to the chain’s offerings and most importantly, an experience that consumers would not soon forget.
Hypercity stores across Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad were the venue for ‘Ready Steady Cook’ contest over three weekends where participants had to sign up to participate in a live cook-off.
From among the many who registered, two were shortlisted at regular intervals based on a fun quiz. In 20 minutes flat, they had to purchase all essentials required to whip up their tastiest bowl using limited funds, and bowl us over with their tastiest Quaker Oats recipe.
As the whiff of the cook-offs filled the store, interested and perhaps, hungry onlookers cheered on. Professional chefs adjudged winners and a few lucky ones got to sample the goods. The activation was an experience that was exciting not just for those participating but also those who happened to witness it.
Aditya Birla Retail Limited (ABRL) More stores in Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad were set up for a different flavour. Participants, over four weeks, across 25 stores, had to submit written entries detailing their tastiest Quaker Oats recipe. The top five recipes received each week were re-created by professional chefs and sampled on the weekend, at the top 5 stores, with the intent of garnering votes for the most-liked recipe. There was a winner chosen each weekend and a grand finale conducted among them to choose one final winner.
That wasn’t all. The usual contest disclaimers mandate that employees and their families can’t take part – but we decided not to leave out this very important internal customer.
A parallel employee contest – ‘WhatsApp Your Tastiest Bowl’, was created and run exclusively through a medium they all had easy access to, whether in office, on the field, or at home.
It was not just employees who were added to the whatsapp groups, but they could add their family members as well, creating personal interaction of the brand with the extended family and enhancing its positive image.
The on-ground promotions made the digital campaign tangible. The tasty versatility of Quaker Oats was lived and experienced by thousands, including consumers and employees at a very personal level. Apart from the large number of engagement and participation, sales figures at the store (an accurate indication of increased awareness) showed an upward trend for the duration of the activity.
