Executive Summary
In 2024, Meals de Colombia, part of Grupo Nutresa, launched Recárgate con Chococono, a national digital promotion designed to re-energize one of its most iconic ice cream brands. Consumers who purchased Chococono products could scan a QR code or message a WhatsApp chatbot, register their details, and validate packaging codes in real time. The first 5,000 participants to complete the process received instant mobile top-ups worth COP $30,000 through Nequi.
The campaign was an immediate success, processing nearly one million codes, engaging 160,000 consumers in just 60 days, and boosting sales by 20 percent. It also created Crem Helado’s first verified consumer database, laying the foundation for future loyalty initiatives.
Encouraged by these results, the company brought the promotion back in early 2025 under a new name: Cargamania Chococono. This second edition simplified participation mechanics and expanded the scale of rewards. Instead of requiring three product purchases, consumers only had to buy two. While the top-up value shifted to COP $20,000, the number of prizes more than tripled. In 60 days, this evolution drove 330,000 participants and validated more than two million codes, cementing WhatsApp-based promotions as a powerful model for consumer engagement in Colombia.
Company Background
Meals de Colombia is a leading Colombian food and beverage company under Grupo Nutresa, with a strong portfolio of beloved brands such as Chococono and Drácula ice creams. Despite their heritage, these brands faced the same reality as many consumer packaged goods companies in Latin America: a fragmented retail environment dominated by mom-and-pop stores that rarely issue receipts. Without receipts, traditional proof-of-purchase campaigns were impossible to run at national scale. Meals needed a digital-first solution that could meet consumers where they already were, on WhatsApp, while also modernizing its approach to loyalty and promotions.
The Campaign Challenge
Running a promotion through traditional retail channels presented several barriers. First, without receipts, Crem Helado could not rely on conventional loyalty mechanics. Second, distributing physical prizes created costly logistics and long lead times. Third, the company had no direct communication channel with end consumers, making it difficult to collect data or measure campaign impact. Finally, with sales under pressure, the company needed a campaign that could be designed and launched in a matter of weeks, not months.
Veryfi’s End-to-End Solution
Veryfi delivered a fully digital system that transformed promotional execution. Consumers who purchased participating Chococono products could scan the QR code on the packaging or send a WhatsApp message to the campaign bot. The chatbot guided them through a secure registration process, ensured compliance with data privacy regulations, and generated unique alphanumeric codes. Participants hand-wrote these codes onto their packaging and submitted photos back through WhatsApp, where Veryfi validated them instantly.
Once validated, eligible participants received an instant mobile recharge via Nequi. This approach eliminated delays, reduced logistical costs, and created a seamless reward experience. Behind the scenes, Veryfi’s platform handled fraud prevention, data collection, and real-time reporting, enabling Crem Helado to manage a complex campaign at national scale.
Implementation and Consumer Experience
The first campaign in July 2024, Recárgate con Chococono, required consumers to buy three products, register via WhatsApp, and validate their codes. Winners received a COP $30,000 mobile recharge, limited to the first 5,000 participants. The implementation took just eight days, proving that large-scale digital campaigns could be launched quickly and effectively.
In 2025, the second campaign, Cargamania Chococono, adjusted the model to further reduce friction and expand reach. The mechanic was simplified so that only two product purchases were needed. The reward was recalibrated to COP $20,000, but the prize pool expanded dramatically to 17,500 instant recharges. This evolution offered more opportunities for consumers to win, and the results reflected that shift.
Results and Impact
Together, the two campaigns engaged nearly half a million consumers and validated more than three million codes in less than a year.
The 2024 campaign processed nearly one million codes from 160,000 participants in 60 days, far exceeding expectations and lifting sales by 20 percent during the promotion period. It also created the company’s first verified digital database of consumers, a valuable foundation for future marketing.
The 2025 campaign scaled these results even further. In 60 days, Cargamania engaged 330,000 consumers and validated more than two million codes, more than doubling participation compared to the first campaign. By lowering the barrier to entry and offering more rewards, Crem Helado was able to maximize engagement while maintaining a seamless, fraud-protected experience for participants.
Technology Partnership Value
The back-to-back success of Recárgate con Chococono and Cargamania Chococono demonstrates the transformative value of Veryfi’s promotional technology. By integrating packaging code capture, WhatsApp-native engagement, real-time validation, fraud prevention, and instant payouts, Veryfi enabled Crem Helado to modernize its promotional strategy.
For Meals de Colombia, these campaigns delivered more than immediate sales lifts. They provided a scalable blueprint for future loyalty initiatives, established direct digital relationships with consumers, and set a new standard for how CPG brands in Latin America can bridge the gap between traditional retail and digital engagement.
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