Insight

Zest, a P&G body soap product, wanted to connect with consumers in an innovative and never-done-before way, to let them know that Zest was a body soap that was truly magical beyond its core benefits of only providing cleanliness and freshness. Thanks to previous campaigns, consumers understood the benefits of the product but lacked an emotional reason to use Zest.

Starcom decided to appeal to people’s inner unfulfilled dreams with a content platform that allowed themselves to reveal their deepest desires.  And what better place to transform and really show what’s under their skin than: The Shower.

With “Descubre lo que hay bajo tu piel con Zest” (Discover what is under your skin with Zest,) the agency re-created those private moments where people unveiled their inner desires.

Strategy

For the most part, advertising messages about soap product are always about “beauty, cleanliness, or being refreshed.” These messages are repetitive and only address the functional benefits of the brand, not the emotional rewards for the consumer. Although consumers want to feel clean, showering had become a much-needed ritual where a lot of unique and strange things happened – more than just singing a favourite song.

From Starcom’s research, they discovered that the shower was a place where secrets came alive, like a confession booth. It had become a sanctuary where people relive their desires, dreams, fears and unfulfilled business. So by capturing those moments, Zest reminded consumers that in the shower, it was always there to listen to their stories – no matter how zany.

Shower Stories lie at the intersection where the product meets the consumer at its most vulnerable moment, encouraging emotional transformation. These stories lay a foundation for developing a content strategy that is tangible, relatable, immersive, memorable and emotional for the consumer.

Execution

Shower Stories was an original production of six episodes aired on national TV. The agency also created the Zest YouTube-branded channel to reach more people for social impact and measurement. The stories were innovative because they were based on the idea that people let go of their inhibitions and reflect on their inner desires in the shower.  While Zest “uncovers what’s under your skin,” it also lets you discover your heart.

After the first segment aired on YouTube, Zest received an unprecedented amount of stories from people telling them what they did when they were in the shower. Some of the real-life stories were racy, others were just plain funny, but the all of them included the soap as their only companion, their key audience during the shower.

The agency also took the concept to retail. At stores where people bought Zest, mock shower booths were installed, with a microphone, shower cap, towels, hair wigs and other shower-related props. Everyone, including kids, adults, young adults, all where suddenly interested in reliving their own shower stories. They took a bath in the in-store mock-shower, in front of everyone, just to get their picture taken and later share with friends and families.

Suddenly the branded-channel called attention with more than a million views. Zest decided to open the conversation directly with their audience to maximize the viewing experience. The brand invited people to take a shower with Zest to uncover what is under their skin and share it with the world – people shared their amazing stories on YouTube - and because they were water-conscious, they asked that showers were limited to one minute.

Results

The agency created a content platform to remind them that it was okay to dream big or overcome their fears, even if just for one minute.  The stories were not only engaging but viral in nature as people ran with the desire to create their own stories via video uploads, revealing their dreams to their friends or to the world.  The relevancy of this content opened doors for Paid, Owned and Earned Media to garner unprecedented results.

“Shower Stories” validated the effectiveness of communicating a simple yet meaningful brand message, one that’s driven by content and community engagement. Sharing can reinvigorate a brand even in the face of fierce competition and familiar product features.

If the campaign provided at least 1 million people with a refreshing smile or moment of reflection, then the project was a success. Zest’s YouTube channel has earned 2.4 million unique views to date and built a community who shares real-life confessions and heartfelt messages. Fans surprised and delighted the brand with tales of running away from office life or showering in their clothes.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt to move the bottom line. Since the start of the campaign, Zest’s sales have increased by 23%.

This campaign was awarded 'Best Use of Content' at The Festival of Media LatAm Awards 2013.

BRAND:

Zest

BRAND OWNER:

Procter & Gamble

CATEGORY:

Toiletries/Cosmetics

REGION:

Mexico

DATE:

October - December 2012

AGENCIES:

Starcom Mediavest

Publicis

MEDIA CHANNEL:

Experiential,Digital,Events,Online,Out-of-Home