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Wanderlust meets hungerlust:

Summer Stories for Lee Kum Kee

If you’ve had Chinese food, you’ve probably had Lee Kum Kee food.

With a heritage going back over 130 years, they make truly delicious authentic sauces. They’re the choice of in-the-know home cooks and Michelin Star chefs. The problem is, not many Brits know that. 

They have a strong story. They (accidentally) invented Oyster Sauce back in 1888. They’re one of the only ‘Chinese’ food brands sold in the UK to actually make their products in China. But awareness is low. They’re kept in the world foods aisle in supermarkets – away from their inferior, inauthentic competitors. 

They have entrusted Media Bounty to change this. Adding personality to the products, and feeding consumers with a context to enjoy real, proper, tasty Chinese food. 

The Brief

The brand needed to find a way to stand out in a crowded category, at a competitive time for food brands – summer BBQ season. They tasked us with increasing awareness in key European markets – the UK, Germany, Holland and Poland. 

They wanted creative based on consumer insights and market trends. Targeting consumers emotionally, whilst holding true to their authentic, traditionally Chinese roots.

 

The Work

The answer was Summer Stories. A campaign that tapped into the collective wanderlust and hungerlust everyone was feeling. Highlighting how Lee Kum Kee products – and the food you make with them – can transport you to another time and a different place. 

Because in the year we had to stay at home, we could at least travel round the world at dinner time. 

 

To do this, we chose donghua – AKA Chinese animation. It’s bold, beautiful, engaging, and a massive nod to the heritage of the brand. The opposite of the copy and paste comms from companies like Blue Dragon and Sharwoods. 

We created three different stories of people dreaming of elsewhere. These were turned into 20 second ads that lived across YouTube and social. Our creative team was responsible for drawing up the storyboards, and our animation partners Picnic Studio brought them to life. 

The results were bright, eye-catching, and beautifully appetising.

 

 

These were all adapted to support a programmatic display campaign across relevant foodie sites. As well as the contextual targeting, we also targeted people based on their interests – seeking out self-confessed foodies. These ads drove thousands of clicks to the Lee Kum Kee website.

All programmatic media planning and buying for the campaign was handled by Media Bounty.

The client loved the animated approach and how it stood out against competitors.

And we loved creating work that makes us hungry. If you haven’t tried their Chiu Chow Chilli Oil yet, do it now. It makes EVERYTHING better.