---
title: "Discounts and Price Cuts No Longer Work: How Can Food Promotions Win Hearts?"
description: "The pandemic has shifted daily life online, making e-commerce and digital strategies crucial for food brands. However, online promotions require more than just price cuts; they must engage consumers' hearts and minds. This article analyzes innovative online promotion tactics, using Telunsu's QR code campaign as a case study, and discusses how to win and retain customers through personalization, emotional connection, and private traffic."
author: "FBIF"
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published: "2020-04-23"
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# Discounts and Price Cuts No Longer Work: How Can Food Promotions Win Hearts?

> The pandemic has shifted daily life online, making e-commerce and digital strategies crucial for food brands. However, online promotions require more than just price cuts; they must engage consumers' hearts and minds. This article analyzes innovative online promotion tactics, using Telunsu's QR code campaign as a case study, and discusses how to win and retain customers through personalization, emotional connection, and private traffic.

A pandemic has changed our lifestyle, with schooling, work, and grocery shopping all moving online—everything can be done "in the cloud."
For food companies, **the online battlefield is no longer just about selling through e-commerce; it's about transforming the entire brand strategy online for comprehensive competition.** But this transformation is not simply copying offline tactics to the online space. Online consumers face more information, have lower brand loyalty, and their purchase decisions are formed differently than offline.
BCG Boston Consulting points out that brands need to shift their channel marketing focus, **seeking new growth opportunities from innovative business models or emerging channels**, such as focusing on platform e-commerce, community e-commerce, O2O, and other new retail channels, and enriching promotional mechanisms.
So, traditional offline promotions like price cuts, discounts, and buy-one-get-one-free—do they still work online? What's different about the online promotional environment? How can brands leverage online advantages to run successful promotions?
This article will address these questions, combining practical case studies to analyze online promotion strategies.
**-01-****Offline Promotions Talk Price, Online Promotions Talk Hearts**
Promotion, literally, means **to boost sales**. According to MBAlib, promotion refers to the use of various effective methods and means by enterprises to make consumers understand and notice their products, stimulate their purchase desire, and prompt them to make the final purchase.
**In the short term, promotions aim to attract more consumer groups and convert as many as possible into purchases.** This process is a psychological game, with the fundamental logic being to satisfy consumers' desire for "getting a deal," reduce their psychological barriers to purchase, and enhance their buying desire.
**In the long term, promotions should strengthen brand loyalty and cultivate long-term purchasing power.** Promotions cannot be done every day; creating sales growth is just the first step. The next question is whether you can retain users.
Traditional offline promotions rely mainly on price, such as discounts and price cuts. A supermarket has limited information and foot traffic; placing promotional products in the most visible spot yields relatively high conversion rates.
Online, however, massive traffic means high mobility, low conversion, and low retention. When consumers open a shopping site, they're bombarded with products and brands, making it hard for promotions to attract attention like a supermarket's prime display. Brands easily fall into the dilemma of **"promoting without selling" or "no promotion, no sales."**
Thus, online promotions can no longer just tell a price story; they must also win hearts.
**1. Win hearts:** Amidst overwhelming information and monotonous promotions, consumers' hearts have grown numb. How can you spark their latent purchase desire?
**2. Retain hearts:** With abundant choices and rapid changes, consumers feel "unattached." How can you cultivate brand loyalty?
In the food and beverage industry, QR code promotions are a common online tactic, used by brands like Dongpeng Special Drink and Wanglaoji, such as scanning codes for red packets or lucky draws, with positive market response.
In January this year, Telunsu also launched a QR code promotion. We learned that this campaign used a QR code inside the cap, not just a simple scan-to-win, but an interactive quiz themed around Beijing embroidery culture—a truly innovative approach.
Next, we'll use Telunsu's promotional interaction as a case study for in-depth analysis, uncovering the logic behind its online promotion.
**-02-****Winning Hearts: Beyond "Getting a Deal," Add New "Bait"**
On January 22, Telunsu Hi Milk, in collaboration with Tetra Pak, launched a Beijing embroidery culture interactive quiz, using QR codes inside the cap to attract consumers to scan and participate in a quiz and prize draw.
Image source: Telunsu WeChat official account
Telunsu Hi Milk is a product in the ultra-premium "Exclusive Customization" line. In this promotion, Telunsu Hi Milk used Tetra Pak's promotional Dream Cap, with different QR codes engraved inside the cap. After purchasing, consumers open the cap, scan the code to enter the activity page, participate in the quiz and draw, and have the chance to win physical prizes and e-commerce platform coupons.
So, how did Telunsu's online promotion work?
As mentioned earlier, promotion is a psychological game. Only by understanding consumers' psychological needs can promotional activities spend money wisely and stimulate purchase desire.
Fundamentally, promotions must satisfy consumers' "get a deal" psychology, which is easy to achieve through discounts, coupons, free gifts, etc. We won't elaborate on these proven methods.
In fact, "low price" is no longer the only deciding factor. Nielsen data shows that Chinese consumers are attracted to new products by "value for money" (37%) and "discounts/promotions" (23%), but the main factors driving final purchase are "high quality" (46%) and "practicality/convenience" (36%).
Image source: Nielsen
When choosing new products, young consumers' views differ greatly from older generations. They are relatively less price-sensitive and willing to spend for self-pleasure. Therefore, online promotions must go beyond "getting a deal" and add new "bait" to hook consumers.
**1. Personalized Needs**
Nielsen data shows that 46% of Chinese consumers like to try new things and actively search for new brands and products. Today's consumers, especially the younger 90s, 00s, and 10s, dislike boredom and conformity, seeking novel and unique experiences different from older generations.
We see that Telunsu didn't choose traditional promotions like direct price cuts, coupons, or free gifts. Instead, it used a fun online quiz as a hook, with "Beijing embroidery" as a relatively niche topic, catering to consumers' desire for individuality.
It is understood that **Telunsu Hi Milk's Beijing embroidery interactive quiz is the first use of QR codes inside caps in the paper-packaged ambient milk category**, offering consumers a novel and unique experience.
Consumers had never scanned a code on a paper milk carton cap before. On one hand, past ambient milk paper packaging mainly used straws; only in recent years have premium milk brands like Telunsu and Jindian adopted Tetra Brik® Aseptic Dream Cap® packaging, offering a new convenient drinking experience.
Image source: Telunsu WeChat official account
On the other hand, due to milk's properties, contact with printing inks or additives can cause spoilage. Telunsu Hi Milk chose **Tetra Pak's non-contact laser engraving technology for the promotional Dream Cap®, engraving the QR code inside the cap without inks or additives, ensuring dairy safety.** Besides QR codes, this laser technology can also engrave characters, numbers, and patterns, helping brands utilize the cap's inner space for more diverse interactions.
Additionally, **the QR code inside the cap prevents code theft, ensuring genuine consumers enjoy the benefits.** It is understood that Tetra Pak, based on data provided by Telunsu, gives each cap a unique QR code. After purchasing Hi Milk, each scan of the cap code provides an additional chance to answer questions and draw, and the more scans, the higher the chance of winning. This mechanism demonstrates the brand's sincerity in rewarding loyal consumers.
QR code promotions are well-known, and one-code-per-product is a tactic many brands have tried, but offline, they face serious "code theft" issues: even without purchasing, one can scan the code on the packaging. Many genuine consumers lose the chance to get benefits, and merchants' concessions "go to the wrong people," resulting in few actual sales conversions.
Telunsu Hi Milk's cap-inside QR code may seem like just a change in position, but it effectively ensures the promotion's conversion rate, allowing genuine consumers to receive the merchant's benefits. Additionally, **after participating, consumers receive electronic coupons, which not only provide discounts but also naturally guide consumers to the brand's sales platform, encouraging repeat purchases.**
Telunsu stated that one-code-per-product "QR code marketing" is well-known. This collaboration with Tetra Pak applies its mature technology for the first time to the increasingly "personalized" premium white milk category, hoping to attract more young consumers to Telunsu's Dream Cap upgraded products and strengthen brand preference and loyalty.
## 2. Emotional Needs
Humans are emotional beings, especially passionate young people who are easily moved by heartfelt things. Advanced promotions transcend "money talk," reaching consumers' hearts, resonating, and forming emotional connections.
In recent years, "national trend" has become a hot topic across industries. Shows like "Masters in the Forbidden City" and "National Treasure" have gained immense popularity and acclaim, with more young people paying attention to traditional Chinese culture and crafts, hoping to "pass on national treasures."
Telunsu Hi Milk's packaging, themed around the intangible cultural heritage of Beijing embroidery, features three designs: "Butterfly" symbolizing daily progress, "Crane" symbolizing peace and health, and "Mandarin Duck" symbolizing a perfect match.
The front of the packaging uses a cow face as the base shape, embedded with Beijing embroidery patterns, using silver foil stamping, while the back is fully covered with Beijing embroidery patterns. This packaging, with the concept of "encountering time and beauty," inherits the beauty of Beijing embroidery, promotes national essence, and its rich connotations satisfy young people's emotional need for cultural heritage.
## 3. Social Needs
Young people love to play and express themselves, and social needs permeate all aspects of their lives. Past promotions were a medium between consumers and products; today's promotions should become a social medium between people, such as tasting events and parent-child activities, with products serving as props.
Socializing is to relieve loneliness, and participation is to realize self-worth. When promotions shift from interest-driven to spirit-driven, making users feel that benefits are earned by themselves—like through level-based games or quiz contests—they gain a sense of achievement and satisfaction from entertainment, making purchase a natural next step.
Telunsu Beijing embroidery Hi Milk's exquisite packaging and storytelling make people want to take photos and share, giving it inherent social attributes. In this promotion, the entire process of opening the cap, scanning, answering questions, and drawing **gives consumers a greater sense of participation**, a feeling of "winning prizes through my own efforts," and even allows them to gain new knowledge about the national treasure "Beijing embroidery," making them willing to share this fun experience with friends and family.
**-03-****Retaining Hearts: Raising "Fish" in the Private Traffic "Pond"**
In Telunsu Hi Milk's cap-inside promotion, another noteworthy point is: **after scanning, users enter "Telunsu Mingshi Hui," a platform Telunsu established to maintain consumer brand loyalty.**
Image source: Telunsu Mingshi Hui
This touches on a hot topic since last year—private traffic.
Traditional promotions are done in public traffic pools, whether offline or online, casting nets in a big fish pond, leveraging the massive incremental dividend.
Now, with the internet mature, most consumers have moved online, but online traffic dividends are fading. QuestMobile data shows that in Q2 2019, the monthly active user scale of the entire mobile internet decreased by 1.93 million, hitting a ceiling of 1.14 billion, **with online traffic gradually saturating.**
**The cost of converting traffic into purchases is also rising.** Analysys data shows that from Q1 2014 to Q2 2017, Tmall's customer acquisition cost rose 62.5%; from Q1 2015 to Q2 2017, JD.com's customer acquisition cost surged 164%, both exceeding 250 yuan.
Consumer goods companies are anxious—traffic harvesting no longer works, promotional ROI is declining, and consumers are increasingly "fickle," choosing you today and someone else tomorrow.
Users' attention has shifted, and capturing users is no longer easy. Consumers on public platforms are like fish in a big pond; even if attracted by promotional discounts this time, they may drift elsewhere next time. Merchants need to "build their own fish ponds" to keep the "fish" they attract, giving rise to the concept of private traffic.
Compared to "public traffic," "private traffic" literally means "private traffic you can control," with three main characteristics: owned by oneself, free to reach, and reusable. Marketing teacher Yinliu Ge once said: "Build your own fish pond, stock the fish, reach them repeatedly without ad costs—that's your private traffic."
We see that some merchants have already tasted the benefits of "promotion + private traffic." For example, the "dark horse in makeup" Perfect Diary started using private traffic in 2018. Not only offline, but after ordering online, buyers receive a "red packet card" guiding them to follow the official account and add the personal account "Xiao Wanzi," which further invites buyers to join groups, scan mini-programs, and also operates carefully on Moments, sharing beauty products and daily life.
Image source: Weibo screenshot
When promotions combine with private traffic, they can help brands solve the "can't retain customers" problem. So how can online promotions leverage private traffic?
Private traffic can be born in WeChat groups and official accounts, or grow on platforms like Weibo and Xiaohongshu. Promotions can use new media technology to attract users and guide them to the brand's fish pond. Like Telunsu Hi Milk's promotion, using the cap-inside QR code to guide users to the brand's "fish pond"—Telunsu Mingshi Hui.
QR code marketing is no longer just about sending red packets; brands can bring a large number of new customers to official accounts or mini-programs, cultivating them into loyal customers.
**After consumers complete the scan, the brand obtains consumer data, which is the new value converted from traffic.** The collected consumer data, including scan time, WeChat nickname, gender, location, etc., can be analyzed across various dimensions to create significant value.
On one hand, every product consumption can be tracked, allowing brands to obtain customer data and create precise consumer profiles, such as which regions or age groups have higher density, helping brands better understand consumer purchase behavior for future product portfolio placement and marketing strategy adjustments.
On the other hand, some consumers who scan into the platform will stay and become fans. Brands can interact with fans through subsequent platform operations, article pushes, offline events, etc., maintaining fan loyalty and promoting the next wave of sales.
**-04-****Conclusion**
From this pandemic, it's clear that online and digital transformation is an inevitable trend across Chinese industries.
In the online battlefield, winning hearts is no longer just about "getting a deal." To address consumers' personalized, social, and emotional needs, brand promotions need to tell a more interesting story and create rich promotional mechanisms.
On the sales issue that brands care most about, promotional tools need continuous optimization, using innovative technologies and processes to improve conversion rates and reduce the investment in traditional promotions that "promote without selling." For example, Tetra Pak's cap-inside QR code technology ensures product safety, prevents code theft, provides manufacturers with more precise marketing methods, and offers consumers a new, unique, and safe experience.
Finally, promotions should consider long-term development beyond short-term sales growth. The advantage of online promotions lies in using digital marketing tools, such as using cap-inside codes to obtain and track consumption data, and guiding traffic to the brand's sales platform or private traffic platform, increasing effective stickiness, converting them into brand fans, and breaking out of the "no promotion, no sales" cycle.
Source: FBIF Food & Beverage Innovation (ID: FoodInnovation), Author: Cici (Yvonne)


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