2014 Winners & Shortlists

The Brief

For years, men have been led to believe that shaving is all about the next razor upgrade. But what is equally essential to a stubble-free face is the shaving gel itself. And NIVEA MEN offers the best one. To re-launch the NIVEA MEN Shaving Gel and reinvigorate sales, we were challenged to remind men of the importance of a good shaving gel.

Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation

We set up a rather fun and provocative little stunt inside a local high-end barber shop. We placed secret cameras, a professional barber, and enough swords, daggers, hunting knives, axes and meat cleavers to demonstrate that you can shave with any blade… that all you really need is a good shaving gel. The sight of scary blades led customers to leap off of their chairs, scream at the barber… but at the end of the day, all of them got the message in a pretty unforgettable way. Then, to reach more men in the region, we uploaded the video online.

Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results

6 weeks later, the best part of 3 million had watched the video on youtube alone. Visits to the NIVEA MEN website increased by 42%. But most importantly, NIVEA MEN's market share for pre-shaves almost doubled - going up from 7.3% to 14.1%. All for the cost of a stunt in a barber shop.

Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service

NIVEA MEN's biggest competitor has a wide range of razors. This bold stunt helped us to change the conversation and demonstrate that razors alone aren't important for shaving. It helped us re-launch the Shaving Gel successfully.