CASE STUDY: Vanke and Burson-Marsteller pair up to protect the ocean

Background
The ocean was the biggest selling point for Lunas del Mar, but Vanke was unsure of how to promote it. Double Moon Bay already had several other developments which for the most part competed on price. Vanke was reluctant to do so and with this situation in mind, Burson-Marsteller proposed using the ocean-themed development to shed light on Vanke’s CSR activities. The team proposed Vanke incorporate philanthropy and conservation into the launch to promote its corporate image, emphasise the project’s main selling points, and create ties to the local community.

Aim
The goal of the campaign was to create buzz for the official launch of the property and to stimulate sales.

Execution
Burson-Marsteller, Vanke and the NGO Shenzhen Blue Ocean Conservation created the “Double Moon Bay Declaration: Our Promise to the Ocean” campaign using digital platforms like Weibo (Chinese microblogging site) and BBS (bulletin board systems). The declaration emphasised the importance of the ocean to mankind and the earth, advocated protecting the ocean by paying attention to everyday actions, such as litter and using detergents with phosphate.

The campaign encouraged netizens to promise to protect the precious resource of the ocean. Netizens who forwarded the declaration could participate in the lucky draw, with a chance to win a visit to Double Moon Bay, or even Bali in Indonesia – also renowned for its ocean resources.  The digital campaign lasted from 22 to 26 July.

The campaign was also used to promote the declaration signing ceremony, on 27 July,  which would take place underwater at Double Moon Bay. Representatives from Vanke and Shenzhen Blue Ocean Conservation dove into the ocean and pledged to protect the area’s surrounding waters.

Results
During the one-week campaign, the number of followers of the official Weibo account reached 11,571, and garnered 10,412 forwards (re-tweets) and 2,205 comments. The number of visits and replies of relevant BBS posts reached a total of 86,433 interactions. These results primed the stage for the second half of the campaign which will promote the residential project as “The First Deep Ocean Resort-Community in China,” aimed at audiences who are keen on a fun and relaxing seaside vacation.