ABOUT

BACKGROUND
Philippine Spring Water Resources, Inc. (PSWRI) is the manufacturer and owner of the Nature’s Spring brand, the number 1 bottled water brand in the Philippines. It is proud of being a 100% Filipino-owned and a 100% family-owned company. It is also proud at being the leader in pivoting to sustainable business practices among players within the bottled water category in the Philippines.

As part of its commitment to sustainability, Nature’s Spring sought to engage its community in an initiative that promoted upcycling and environmental responsibility. The brand launched the Ilaw ng Bukas (Light of Tomorrow) Christmas Promo on Facebook, encouraging people to repurpose discarded PET bottles into Christmas lanterns or parol, a cherished Filipino holiday symbol. Given the ongoing El Niño phenomenon, the campaign also aligned with efforts to combat climate change and promote eco-friendly habits. The challenge was to drive participation and engagement in an upcycling initiative while ensuring organic reach and impact without paid media support.

TARGET AUDEINCE
The campaign primarily targeted Filipino households, DIY enthusiasts, and environmentally conscious individuals. Given the strong cultural significance of Christmas in the Philippines, the campaign also appealed to families looking for creative, meaningful holiday activities. The secondary audience included sustainability advocates, community organizations, and consumers who resonate with brands that actively promote environmental responsibility.

OBJECTIVES
1. Reach at least 3 million people organically. This is a bold target given that Meltwater and We Are Social in their 2023 Philippine Digital Report estimate that Facebook page contents only reach around 2% of its followers organically. As of November 1, 2023, the brand Facebook page has total followers of 1,456,143 people. The target is 102.01% more of how many people will normally see the brand contents organically (29,123 people).

2. Garner at least 350,000 video views. Given that the campaign will involve target audiences dedicating a significant amount of time and resources, the call for entry video reel was conservatively targeted to achieve deliberate video views of just about 11.67% of the target reach.

3. Achieve at least 20,000 engagements. While audiences are typically passive consumers of information, especially in social media, due to what is seen as an oversaturation of available content, achieving this target number engagements will indicate how strongly target audiences feel about sustainability issues. This will also show the ability of contest entrants to muster support from their respective bases, primarily comprised of family members and friends.

4. Receive at least 15 contest entries showcasing upcycled PET bottle lanterns. Again, as the campaign will involve target audiences dedicating a significant amount of time and resources in order to participate and qualify to receive a monetary reward, and due to the relatively short time to prepare and submit entries, this target was set conservatively.

These objectives are to be achieved from the time of posting of the call for entry video reel until the end of January 15, 2024.

The objectives align with the business need of PSWRI as these targets are the best indicators of success of the campaign, which is social media-based.

KEY MESSAGES
The social media campaign Ilaw ng Bukas (Light of Tomorrow) Christmas Promo aimed to impart 3 key messages to its target audiences:

1. Upcycling discarded PET bottles into Christmas lanterns is a creative and meaningful way to celebrate the holidays while reducing waste.
a. Show the model for the call for entry video reel as having fun while he is working on his Christmas lantern.

2. Sustainability starts at home—small actions like recycling and upcycling can make a big difference in protecting the environment.
a. Feature shots of how easy it is to gather discarded water bottles.

3. Nature’s Spring is committed to environmental responsibility and actively promotes sustainable initiatives with its consumers and communities.
a. Inform target audiences of the cash incentive Nature’s Spring is giving during this exercise of promoting sustainable initiatives.

CONCEPT AND EXECUTION
The campaign was designed to tap into the cultural significance of Christmas while reinforcing Nature’s Spring’s sustainability efforts. The idea of upcycling PET bottles into parol resonated deeply with Filipino traditions, making it a natural fit for audience engagement. Content was crafted to inspire participation, highlighting the beauty and craftsmanship of the lanterns while reinforcing the environmental message. The campaign relied heavily on user-generated content, allowing the audience to be co-creators of the brand’s sustainability movement.

The project was executed with a limited budget of Php50,000.00 (plus VAT), allocated entirely to production of video reels used as call for entry content and of the succeeding social media art cards (i.e. other contest information, reminder of deadline content, and content announcing the winners of the competition). No ad budget was used, making the campaign’s success entirely organic. Despite the short campaign duration (November 29, 2023 – January 31, 2024), the initiative garnered impressive engagement, proving that a compelling idea can drive impact even with limited resources. The project also marked a rare occasion where Nature’s Spring offered cash prizes for an online contest, demonstrating the brand’s commitment to its sustainability advocacy. Cash prizes were given directly by Nature’s Spring to the winners.

RESULTS
The campaign’s measurable objectives, primarily measured through the Meta Business Manager platform, were significantly exceeded, as of the target deadline for measurement of January 15, 2024:

• Reach: Target of 3M → Achieved 4.6M (153%)

• Views: Target of 350K → Achieved 510K (146%)

• Engagements: Target of 20K → Achieved 30K (150%)

• Entries: Target of 15 → Achieved 28 (187%)

From a cost-efficiency standpoint:

• Cost per Reach: Php0.04

• Cost per Video View: Php0.34

• Cost per Engagement: Php5.87

• Cost per Entry Received: Php6,285.71

The Ilaw ng Bukas (Light of Tomorrow) Christmas Promo successfully reinforced Nature’s Spring’s advocacy for sustainability, proving that meaningful and culturally relevant initiatives can generate high engagement and impact—even without a paid media budget.