2019 Winners & Shortlists

INCOGNITO

BrandRECKITT BENCKISER
Product/ServiceDUREX CONDOMS
EntrantHAVAS Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
CategoryOTC Products/Devices
Idea Creation HAVAS Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Describe any restrictions or regulations regarding Healthcare communications in your country/region (imposed by healthcare regulatory bodies, government, TV stations, etc.)

Condom advertising in the MENA region is highly regulated. No kissing, touching or even revealing clothing. Any attempts to do so are met with immediate censure by conservative elements of society. Durex, therefore, seeks out other platforms that engage digitally - that potentially lead to direct purchase.

Describe the target audience

Men between 25 and 40 years old in MENA. The specific group targeted are the 40% who buy significantly fewer condoms because they are too embarrassed to purchase over the counter.

Background

Situation: In the Middle East, a little less than half the male population buy fewer condoms than they want to because they are too embarrassed in retailers and pharmacies. Given cultural and religious taboos about sex outside of marriage, condom purchase in public among young men particularly can be a cause of shame. Brief: Under the cover of the White Friday Sale (known elsewhere as Black Friday) - the most popular period for E.commerce - Durex wanted to encourage men to consider a new way of buying condoms. A way that cuts out the embarrassment. Objectives: To switch anxious condom buyers at retail into positive condom buyers online, principally through souq.com. Not just for White Friday but as a matter of habit thereafter.

Describe the creative idea

CREATIVE No matter what's being delivered, the iconic brown package always signals a Souq delivery in the region. And no one else knows what's inside...specially if it's condoms. So why not sell the distinctive brown packaging as "Momproof" or "Neighbourproof" or "Receptionproof"? In other words, wherever you're getting your condoms delivered, no one needs to know. Across social videos and static posts, the promotion does not need to show condoms, just strong branding allowing the customer metaphorically to "unbox" the idea.

Describe the strategy

Data gathering: Market data indicated a rise in online E.commerce consumer spend of 18% since the previous White Friday - with the sale weekend being the heaviest spending time of the year. The opportunity was obvious. Target audience and relevance to platform: 93% of the purchasers are male (80% of them between 25 and 40 years old) and online media makes up 60% of their media time. Indeed, an average of 2 hrs 39 mins a day are spent on social media. So intercepting them on their online journey would be critical to success. Approach: Be close to them as they were considering what to buy in the White Friday Sale and make the quiet suggestion that condoms might also be a good idea as a top up purchase...because no one needs to know.

Describe the execution

Phase 1: addressing directly the embarrassment insight, Durex used a combination of Instagram, Twitter and Facebook posts with Google pre-roll films in the weeks leading up to the White Friday Sale. Here, the brand repositioned the whole concept of online condom purchase as Neighbourproof or Receptionistproof or Conciergeproof - playing on the anonymity of the souq.com box. Phase 2: over the three day sale period to November 25th, Durex focused on the delivery of hard-sell messages, connecting the behavioral insight of the first wave of the campaign to a strong call to action and hard-sell promo message.

List the results

RESULTS The outstanding success of the Incognito Campaign is changing the go-to-market model for the brand: * Durex generated 10.9 more leads than the previous Valentine's Day campaign, the normal annual high point. * Across both phases of the campaign the click through rate on social media was 2.4 times the industry benchmark in the biggest market KSA. * On paid media, the click through rate was 5.6 times the benchmark for KSA * Sales that peaked in sale time continued through December achieving an increase of over 300% over the previous year during the same period. * Even retail sales in pharmacies saw a positive jump of 5% over the previous year with no other promotion in the marketplace.

Credits

Name Company Role
Mark Fiddes Havas Worldwide Executive Creative Director
Andrew Pearson Havas Worldwide Creative Director
Nadia Karim Havas Worldwide Art Director
Tiffany Rebello Havas Worldwide Copywriter
Fabio Silveira Havas Worldwide Head of Planning
Mohit Jain Reckitt Benckiser Regional Marketing Manager
Sara Khalil Reckitt Benckiser Brand Manager
Christina Yepremian Havas Worldwide Senior Writer
Fuad Tharakaniyil Havas Worldwide Videographer
Shefeeq Marakkatepurath Havas Worldwide Graphic Designer
Justine Dib Havas Worldwide Account Supervisor
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