2012 Winners & Shortlists

Results and Effectiveness

The results were as glowing as Tide’s whites. Our activation captured the imagination of 61,257 consumers and reversed Tide’s declining share in the process. Share grew for the first time in 3 readings (indexing 105 vs. pre-activation); a positive indication that Tide was able to overcome consumer skepticism and effectively project its equity. Best of all, we were able to deliver Tide’s promise and bring it to life in a simple and meaningful way.

Creative Execution

Our idea was to use people as the medium by letting the whites in people’s clothing do the talking. In a first of its kind execution, Tide stretched the boundaries of cinema advertising in six of the most popular cinemas in the UAE. Using black light (light which illuminates the color white), Tide turned the whites in people’s clothes into gleaming white advertisements enabling audiences to literally see Tide’s “Brighter Whites” equity come to life. To ensure maximum impact, we aligned our activation with the long awaited 3D screening of the family movies “Pirates of The Caribbean” and “Kung Fu Panda”. The movies presented the perfect hook for housewives, as focus groups showed that going to the movies is a favorite family pastime. To satisfy our target’s need for tangible proof, we carried out comparative product demos in neighboring supermarkets to attest that there is no brighter whiteness than Tide’s.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

Tide, known for enhancing the whiteness and radiance of clothes, was finding difficulty projecting its “whiteness” equity in the UAE. ‘Providing superior whiteness’ was becoming the status quo of a multitude of laundry detergent brands in the market. This saw Tide’s share plummeting to its lowest reading in Q4 of 2009, indexing 86 vs. same period year ago. TV advertising alone was no longer cutting it. Tide needed to do something out of the ordinary, something innovative to anchor its “whiteness” and standout from the clutter. Probing deeper into Tide’s target, focus groups uncovered that housewives are overly skeptical about products they purchase and need evidence that the product delivers on its promise. Tide is all about “making whites bright”. Building on the insight ‘seeing is believing’ we developed a unique campaign that allowed consumers to literally experience Tide’s ‘whiteness’, not as a spectator, but as a participant.