Brands that stand the test of time know when to stand their ground and when to evolve with the times. To stand out from its competitors, local bottled water brand COOL joint forces with Madcradle Online for a complete brand transformation in 2017. The campaign featured COOLosophy, an alternative philosophy to life in Hong Kong, with a slogan of 拒絕麻木 (Rejecting Numbness). Matching the brand’s name, we called for a more liberating and ‘cool’ approach to life that empowered the youth to liberate themselves from social constructions. Our objective was to rebrand COOL with this younger, cooler personality and imprint it onto consumers to differentiate from other local brands.
Despite being a well-recognized major local water brand, COOL’s previous campaigns were unable to deliver significant results in defining a core feature of the brand. This called for a new edgy, alternative personality to clearly define its brand image, and a popular niche KOL to cement it in consumers’ minds. Social media posts and campaign messages required powerful alternative elements that appeal to modern youths and generate strong resonance with them. COOL needed an insider network of resources and professional advertising strategy on Facebook to garner loyal customers to consolidate their new image. As a young and energetic digital marketing agency, Madcradle Online gave COOL its unprecedented rebranding breakthrough.
Since COOL’s rebranding was maintained on a local level, we focused social media marketing on Facebook. This is Hong Kong’s top-grossing platform amongst youths, allowing for better reach. Our campaign feature story centered around local tattooist KOL Lily Cash whose personal branding perfectly reinforced COOL’s rebranded image. In a series of video and post ads, we featured her in stylistic aesthetics and slogans of alternative philosophy. Through interactive O2O mini games related to the KOL’s niche paired with eye-catching slogans and attractive prizes, we further consolidated this rebranding message. Other lifestyle feeds complemented KOL content with thought-provoking questions such as 活著是...? (To live is to…?) and 成功是...? (Success is…?). Our content resonated powerfully with youths seeking life beyond the mainstream, establishing COOL as one with the alternative community.
The COOLosophy campaign accomplished branding objectives with triumph, setting up a new creative direction for the brand’s marketing. The KOL Lily Cash generated amiable noise online, inducing resonance amongst Hong Kong’s youth audience groups. Video and post ads achieved extensive reach and significant engagement amongst those interested in the alternative. We kept COOL’s brand identity consistent through solid, appealing art direction and copywriting, impressing this new personality upon the audience. Our viral mini games strengthened brand image, allowing audience to positively associate the water brand with the alternative. With our efforts, we successfully rebranded COOL with an alternative image that stands out from the crowd.
1 To define a core feature of the brand and have it stand out from its competitors, we rebranded COOL with an edgy, alternative personality.
2 With stylized aesthetics and slogans of alternative philosophy, we captured the hearts of local youths who look for things outside of the mainstream.
3 KOL Lily Cash’s personal branding matched and reinforced COOL’s new aesthetic and art direction perfectly, appealing to her young niche following.
4 For capturing the best of the KOL’s aesthetics, we employed a crew of professional photographers to film and shoot artistic videos and photos for the campaign.
5 Building on the KOL’s influence, our Facebook mini games and prizes revolved around her niche to deliver O2O engagement that appeal to the tastes of local youths, delivering great impact on branding.