NZ Dairy Brand’s China Market Success Story — The Topline Douyin Strategy

No. 1 Premium New Zealand Organic Milk Powder on Douyin

Open Country in 2018 launched AwaRua Organics, the company’s first organic milk powder product line with a focus in the China market. Since 2019, AwaRua has started actively engaging with Daigou, Chinese distributors, and end consumers through online and offline activities. However, the initial fast growing phase has passed, in 2020, the brand was looking for the next  growth opportunities to stimulate sales and raise brand awareness. 

In 2020, Touchpoint CC was appointed as its Chinese creative agency. We have conducted brand diagnosis, 5c and Swot analysis, and identified the following brand challenges:

• Differentiate the brand and products from Australasia competitors
• A compelling product storytelling to support the high price premium
• More accurate consumption scene conversion

Based on the study, we have created AwaRua’s Chinese brand story, marketing collaterals, social media graphics, as well as ecommerce illustrations. Also, we remapped the consumer decision journey, and created an integrated campaign strategy to highlight its brand’s unique selling points. Introducing the ‘Nourish every moment’ campaign across various media channels in three phases :

1. Launch brand TVC via Chinese video platform Mango TV, WeChat, Weibo, Red, Douyin.
2. Build brand trust by sharing experts’ professional knowledge with tips and myth-burst with KOL endorsement; search engine marketing (SEM), and celebrity TV  endorsement.
3. Boost sales through multiple Douyin KOL short video seedling, Taobao Live Streaming selling, and online flagship store promotion. 

Later, we have identified the opportunity for AwaRua to sell on Douyin as the early bird NZ brand. The success of the campaign has bought us the opportunity of opening the AwaRua Organics Cross-border Douyin store on behalf of the brand. We set up a dedicated eCommerce team in China to facilitate the flagship store growth. 

OUTCOMES

Campaign: The ‘Nourish every moment’ campaign launched from 15th October to 15th Nov, 2020 has built a solid brand awareness for AwaRua and lifted the brand from ‘just another milk powder’, to the ‘one and only premium organic milk powder brand from NZ’. Despite the pandemic hit, the campaign helped the brand double its sales target  and gained more than 2 million engagements

Social: Started the brand social account in 2020, accumulated more than 15,000+ followers across Douyin, Red & WeChat. Collaborated with hundreds of  KOLs & KOCs for product seedlings and successfully stimulated sales online & offline with increasing brand love.

E-Commerce: Reaching the 7-figures GMV  after 10 months operation. In March, the brand ranked the top sales in the category on Douyin in 2022.  Helped the brand became the top premium NZ organic milk powder brand on the most influential social media nowadays