MasterChef Mystery Box: Home Edition
The Mystery Box Challenge is a favourite of all Masterchef fans. The seemingly random combination of ingredients challenges even the most experienced contestants to come up with something the judges will love. We wanted to extend the excitement of the Mystery Box by giving fans of the show the chance to play along.
Unfortunately we never got to create this campaign due to sponsorship issues. I do believe this proposal shows my ability to conceptualise engaging, cross-channel campaigns.
The Idea
Every week, the Mystery Box that will be featured in that week’s episode will be on sale at Woolworths. Fans can then buy the Mystery Box, filled with unknown goodies, that will put their own culinary skills and creativity to the test.
Both the display stand and the boxes will be branded with the M-Net logo and tune-in details. This DIY version of the MasterChef Mystery Box Challenge should resonate with consumers who are used to buying “Eat in for Four” meal suggestions from Woolworths. This is essentially a fancier, limited edition version of that concept that will appeal to everyday home cooks and adventurous foodies alike.
The MasterChef Mystery Box: Home Edition could be successful as just a promotional product, but more importantly, it offers opportunities to draw consumers deeper into
the MasterChef and M-Net world.
the MasterChef and M-Net world.
Sharing their culinary experiments
We’ll encourage consumers to share their creations through social media. This will further help to kickstart conversation around MasterChef in the run-up to each episode, extending the experience beyond just watching the show. All of this content can be reshared, via
M-Net, MasterChef and Woolworths, extending awareness and hype to drive more people to watch each episode. Each week the MasterChef judges could also comment on the most popular recipes, giving advice and feedback on the look, flavour combinations and creativity.
Unlock exclusive content
We could drive consumers who have bought the box to the M-Net MasterChef website, where they’ll get exclusive access to content around that week’s Mystery Box. For example, we could provide inspiration boards from the contestants around that week’s ingredients to get home cooks thinking; as well as tips and tricks on how to cook specific ingredients.
Special episode
This idea offers the perfect opportunity for a special live episode featuring the creators of all the best MasterChef Mystery Box: Home Edition dishes. Contestants could be chosen by the judges, or fan vote, or a combination of the two. They’ll be confronted with the ultimate MasterChef Mystery Box – putting all the skills they’ve learned throughout the season to the test.
And, because the show is live, the entire MasterChef community who have been playing along will be able to give advice and ideas to the contestants; and of course weigh in on who should win. If a special episode isn’t practical, the final MasterChef Mystery Box: Home Edition Challenge could work just as well as a regional in-store activation.
We are very excited about the possibilities that this idea offered. MasterChef has such dedicated fans who eagerly anticipate each episode, it would be great to involve them more in the show. We believe this is an opportunity for M-Net to do something innovative with this franchised show, turning the South African edition into a unique, interactive experience.
