Malee: Lonely Rambutan

Malee’s juicy canned fruit has been a best-seller for over 40 years and it’s a much-loved brand. But its association with special occasions means it can literally be ‘left on the shelf’ for 360 days of the year. Poor #LonelyRambutan. By personifying the canned fruit itself, Wunderman Thompson took it from the sad and lonely shelf to the hearts of Thai people (and to Tinder) it even became a hashtag in its own right. #LonelyRambutan. It all started with a platonic love story, a film about his quest to spend less time alone, finding company beyond just birthdays and Lunar New Year. 10 million views on YouTube later, the rambutan was still lonely. So a Facebook page was created, the tin checked in at lonely events, tried a ‘free hug’ experiment and even went live in the shower one lonely Saturday night. Thousand’s shared his loneliness, but it wasn’t enough. Next, on Tinder, garnering over 1,000 matches and encouraging them to ‘meet’ at 7-11. #LonelyRambutan became a catchword for loneliness, with over 60,000 Retweets; engagement of 3 million and 47 million impressions. And sales growth of 20%.