When Knorr wanted to reach Polish consumers at scale to drive sampling and sales, it turned to Facebook and achieved stunning results.
The Challenge
Knorr has been making cooking easy since 1838. Its ready-made sauces and stock pots are available in nearly 90 countries worldwide, and with annual sales over $3 billion, it is parent company Unilever’s biggest-selling brand. In Poland, Knorr’s best-known product is Bulionetka, a stock used in soups and braised dishes.
Even well-known brands can’t stand still in the hyper-competitive FMCG category, especially when busy lifestyles mean that fewer and fewer Polish people take the time to cook at home. Knorr’s new TV campaign was designed to raise awareness among women aged 25–49, but Knorr also wanted to reach a younger audience to drive sampling and sales.
The Solution
With 9.1 million people in Poland accessing Facebook every day, it was the natural choice to support Knorr’s TV campaign online. The first step was for Knorr and its agency Kalicinscy to attend a ‘Spark’ session with Facebook’s Creative Shop. At this half-day immersive session, Knorr developed its brand pillars and visual identity on Facebook, while thinking about the themes and messages that would resonate most with its target audience.
“The ‘Spark’ session was invaluable, as it allowed us to really dig deep into what the Knorr brand stands for and how it should look on Facebook,” says Ewa Pierzynska, Brand Manager at Knorr. “By the end of the session, there was an incredible excitement about the new approach we’d developed, and the impact this could have on Bulionetka.”
Marta Czarnecka, Head of Media Poland & Baltics, Knorr, added: "Using Facebook alongside TV has delivered a measurable impact on both brand and sales KPIs. From now on, Facebook will be a key part of our media mix."
The results
According to measurement studies from Neilsen and GfK, Facebook achieved incremental reach of 10% alongside TV (including 38.3% reach among the younger consumer base). It also successfully drove 100,000 samples over a 3-week period.
This, in turn, boosted sales of Bulionetka. People who received a sample from Facebook spent almost 2X on their next purchase compared to regular consumers, while people who had seen the ads on Facebook and TV spent 1.5X compared to consumers who had only seen the ad on TV.
The campaign, which ran from September 17–November 2, 2014, resulted in:
⦁ 8-point lift in brand favourability
⦁ 3-point lift in purchase intent
⦁ 1.5X return on ad investment from Facebook + TV versus TV alone
Marta Czarnecka, Head of Media Poland & Baltics, Knorr, added: "The results from this campaign exceeded all our expectations, and Facebook was integral to this success. When it comes to reaching the right audience at scale in Poland, Facebook is a necessity for us."
