Insight
With the growth of social media and the huge rate of tech adoption, certain words have permeated the social lexicon. “Likes, hashtags, tweets, pins” have become mainstream in a very short time.
Before 2013, the Word “Sefie” simply didn’t exist. By the end of that year, the use of the word exploded 17,000%, achieving the Oxford Dictionary’s Word of the Year for 2013.
However, it word was practically unknown in Mexico.
In 2014, the Oscar Selfie circled the globe, becoming one of the most seen pictures ever (37 million people seeing the tweet and 43 million watching the Oscars show. It was the most retweeted ever (1.1 million in few days and 3 million one year after). The reign of the Selfie had reached its climax.
A completely different story happens in the premium deodorants industry in Mexico. Although competence grows and different functional and emotional benefits are offered from lots of competitors, the perception of value decreases and the category shrinks. The ever increasing variety of benefits offered has just got the consumers confused.
In this landscape, BDF launched Nivea Black & White, the first deodorant which promised to not leave stains on black/ white clothing. OMD had to find a natural way of reaching its target to build awareness and engagement with the brand in this crowded panorama.
Strategy
As this product could become the perfect ally for Mexican’s social lives (in which formal black/white clothes are the rule), B&W should be present at the centre of the social scene to avoid those horrible clothing stains. And what was more at the centre of social life at this moment than “Selfies”?
And thinking about it, OMD suddenly realised that what was really at the centre of almost every selfie were…. armpits!
Have you ever imagined your own Perfect Selfie… with deodorant stains right there, centre stage?!
So that’s when Nivea B&W jumped to the rescue of all those Perfect Selfies and created: The Ten Commandments for the Perfect Selfie.
Execution
The Ten Commandments:
1. Thou shall lift your arm above everything else
2. Thou shall take the picture to look casual (even if it is extremely produced)
3. Thou shall never “selfie” in an undignified state
4. Thou shall tense your arm muscle at all costs (no hanging skin!)
5. Thou shall take care of posture and NO spare tires!
6. Thou shall ALWAYS take 3 takes before publishing (safety shots)
7. Thou shall care for getting the perfect outfit
8. Thou shall make any place perfect for a selfie
9. Attitude is what really matters
10. Group Selfies are the most fun
And all these would become a series of webisodes (one episode each) hosted on Nivea’s YouTube channel. The agency looked for a youthful show, completely in tune with pop culture and the energy of sociability of Social Media. Picnic, on Telehit, was the perfect option, hosted by three young, very social jet setter women, who became the perfect hosts for the series (and would drive natural traffic too).
Over the next few months, Oli, Angie and Mel would invite watchers to check each new episode released on YouTub, and their own (and Picnic’s) social networks would also announce them.
When the Oscar Selfie tide hit the world, OMD rode on it, boosting its search investment.
During the last episodes Nivea started a contest to find Mexico’s Perfect Selfies - those that would incorporate better all the learnings. Every week a complete B&W wardrobe (worth $1000) was awarded to the creator of the Perfect Selfie (as well as the opportunity to take themselves a Perfect Selfie along with the hosts live on the show).
Results
The web series reached a million views through investment, along with 1.6 million organic views. To date, the web series has attracted 2.5 million views.