Vaseline:::Getting men to moisturise

BRAND OWNER:Unilever
CATEGORY:Toiletries/ Cosmetics
REGION:USA
DATE :Oct 2008 - Nov 2008


When Vaseline launched its men’s range of hand and body lotion, it wanted to raise awareness about the product and ensure that men connected the dots between skin health and body health.

The idea was that Vaseline Men helped fortify men’s skin to help it perform more efficiently.
The target audience was an average guy in his mid-30s with a family who used lotion every so often. He loves sports and is picky about his media usage.

Vaseline's main challenge was to differentiate Vaseline’s sports theme from other brands such as Gillette and Gatorade..

Vaseline chose athletes as brand ambassadors whose sports seasons were peaking during the Q4 launch: baseball and football.

The campaign idea was “15 seconds a Day to Stronger Skin”.

Athletes spend countless hours practicing their sports and preparing their bodies to deliver strong performance. But it only takes them 15 seconds a day to strengthen their skin.

Vaseline partnered with ESPN and worked across TV, radio, digital and print to create content featuring New York Giant’s football star Michael Strahan and Philadelphia Phillies baseball champion Chase Utley.

Not only were there TV vignettes about the sportsmen’s off-field regime, but there was also a digital hub and radio sponsorship of ESPN’s top-rated radio broadcast. There were also advertorials in ESPN magazine with a Vaseline ad on opposite page.

Additionally, content was delivered beyond ESPN properties to a broader audience with a homepage takeover of both YouTube and AOL, as well as Broadband Enterprise, and NFL.com. This was the first time ESPN created non co-branded content and allowed it to be syndicated across multiple channels.
As a result, Vaseline Men ended the year 40% ahead of the share target. The 24.5oz (lead product) was in the top 3 selling Unilever variants for 12 straight weeks at WalMart, making it one of Vaseline's most successful launches.