German Pizza breaks Chinese taboo

Chinese youth encouraged to fight for their right for comfort in pop-music video by Dr. Oetker

An independent study* shows that 70% of China’s post-80’s generation consider themselves ‘stay-at-home’ guys and girls. Also, 49% of the urban population claims ‘I’d rather stay at home than go out after work’. The increasing pressures brought on by a constantly accelerating pace of life in China’s fast changing society is said to be the driving force behind this trend. Yet, an evening on the couch is considered lazy and ‘not-cool’ to publicly admit to.

Dr. Oetker has embarked on a mission to promote home-comfort for Pizza Box, their recently launched microwave pizza brand for youth in China. As Chinese youth aren’t familiar with the concept of frozen pizza, the brand and its agency decided to focus on the ideal atmosphere to enjoy it in; a lazy evening on the couch.

Instead of working with traditional marketing channels, the brand makes their statement with the launch of a music video. “History shows that music can be a strong force for cultural change.” Says Energize Shanghai’s strategy partner Rogier Bikker. “So it felt like the ideal opportunity to create a song and accompanying music video about the pressures of life in urban China, and contrast that with the comfort of eating Pizza Box on the couch.”

The music video, that first aired on China’s video channel Youku, kicks off a social media campaign on Chinese social network Weibo. While point of sale activations turn this attention into action, using custom-made premiums, promo codes and updated packaging. The campaign, created by Energize Shanghai, is the first step to introduce the product as ‘best enjoyed when totally comfortable’.

*Source: WebInsight