The Situation
Haier, the global home appliance company, wanted to triple its Philippine sales by 2018. The market was growing, but it was saturated: LG, Panasonic, Sharp, Samsung, and Hanabishi all had established positions with Filipino consumers. Haier had the product range but almost no brand recognition. With fewer than 6,000 Facebook followers, it was invisible to the shoppers making purchase decisions online.
The challenge went deeper than awareness. Haier needed to compete against brands that had built emotional connections with Filipino families over decades. Product specs alone wouldn’t close that gap. The brand needed a personality and a story that resonated in a market where appliance purchases are tied to family milestones and home-building moments.
The Approach
Phase 1: Brand Repositioning Around Family Values
Redefined Haier‘s brand message for the Philippine market around life, family, and the bonds that bring people together. Reintroduced the Haier Brothers mascots as a family-friendly face for the brand, symbolizing partnership and approachability rather than product specifications. A media event introduced this new positioning to reporters and bloggers.
Phase 2: Article & Product Seeding Across Print and Broadcast
Ran a sustained article and product seeding campaign throughout the year across print, broadcast, and online. Content highlighted Haier’s after-sales service, product capabilities, and corporate milestones, including the distinction of having its appliances sent to space. Coverage appeared in top publishers including GMA, Tempo, and Business Mirror.
Phase 3: Facebook Personality Overhaul
Rebuilt Haier’s Facebook presence with a new, approachable personality. The page moved from product-only posts to a mix of fun facts, lifehacks, company trivia, and customer support. The social team resolved purchaser issues quickly on the page, turning the account into a service channel alongside a content channel.
Phase 4: Christmas Rush Product Push
Timed the final quarter campaign to the Philippine Christmas rush, when appliance purchases peak. Concentrated product highlights and corporate success stories into Q4 to capitalize on the buying season and close the year with maximum commercial impact.
The Results
- 606M Total impressions across all media channels over the year-long campaign
- 10x Facebook growth from 5,896 to 53,044 followers in 12 months
- #4 Ranked fourth among Philippine appliance competitors on social media
Campaign Highlights:
- Averaged 4,500 new Facebook followers per month across the full campaign year
- Coverage secured in top publishers including GMA, Tempo, and Business Mirror
- Brand repositioned from product-first messaging to family-centered storytelling
- Facebook transformed into a dual-purpose channel: content and customer service
- Christmas rush timing maximized Q4 product visibility during peak appliance buying season
- Campaign positioned Haier on track toward its triple sales target by 2018
The Takeaway
In a saturated appliance market, the brand that wins is the one that stops selling specs and starts telling a story families see themselves in. Haier grew its following 10x and reached 606 million impressions because it positioned itself around the moments Filipino families care about, not the features engineers care about.
Industry: Consumer Retail, Manufacturing
Service: PR & Digital Campaigns
Solution: For International Brands Entering PH
Frequently Asked Questions
How does an unknown appliance brand break into a market dominated by LG and Samsung?
By competing on story instead of specs. Haier couldn’t out-feature LG or Samsung, but it could own a different emotional space. Repositioning around family values gave the brand a personality that the incumbents weren’t occupying. The 606 million impressions followed because the message resonated, not because the product was new.
Why reposition around family for an appliance brand in the Philippines?
Appliance purchases in the Philippines are family decisions tied to home milestones: a new house, a growing family, a holiday gift. When the brand story connects to those moments, it stops competing on price and starts competing on meaning. That’s how Haier moved from invisible to fourth-ranked on social.
What drove 10x Facebook growth in a single year?
A personality overhaul that made the page worth following. Fun facts, lifehacks, and quick customer support turned Haier‘s Facebook from a product catalog into a community. Followers grew at 4,500 per month because the content gave people a reason to stay, not just a reason to click.
Why time an appliance campaign to the Philippine Christmas rush?
Appliance sales in the Philippines peak in Q4 when families buy gifts and prepare homes for the holidays. Concentrating product content and corporate milestones in the final quarter ensured Haier was visible during the exact window when purchase decisions were being made.
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