2022 Winners & Shortlists

Why is this work relevant for Creative Strategy?

Energizer flipped its usual way of communication to increase brand awareness. The brand moved away from promoting batteries to launching their portable lights to have a voice in the "national disaster preparedness month", and allow to turn these lights into adventure tools for conquering the dark in an html-manga series. We moved away from our traditional retail-focused communication to digital channels to guarantee consumer engagement regardless of covid restrictions, and used a Manga medium to tell stories because of its popularity, low cost and wide readership (might be a cliché for Japan, but was relevant and successful for the brand).

Background

As Japan is prone to natural disasters, disaster-proofing is a crucial drill, which results in a surge of shopping activity in the middle of the year with people spending on emergency essentials. This was a clear opportunity for Energizer Lights, but there was the added challenge of the effects and disruptions of the Coronavirus, and considering the brand’s low marketing efforts in the country, Energizer Japan had to find an innovative way to penetrate the market, engage and communicate with people, and build brand affinity.

The Interpretation of the Challenge (30% of vote)

As a market challenger, the aim was always to increase brand awareness. However, adapting the global brandbook of imagery for retail wasn't going to cut it. We were at the beginning of COVID-19 restrictions and had to evolve. By shifting the focus to portable lights for the disaster-preparedness season, we established our brand purpose clearly, of being a provider of solutions that help people tackle problems and enjoy what they love most together with family. Basing our communication on a digital, long-term platform of an html-manga series allowed us the freedom to also easily adapt to traditional retail and display media, which gave shoppers the flexibility to engage with us online and on ground. The communication could shift seamlessly from tactical to educational and to entertainment too, which allowed us to appeal to and resonate with all kinds of consumers. The results and numbers affirmed our approach.

The Insight / Breakthrough Thinking (30% of vote)

It was important to identify the right opportunity to increase brand awareness, by understanding the habits of the population and mapping out relevant calendar occasions. We could never have overestimated the impact of disasters on the country's psyche, so when we studied the month of September, known as ‘disaster preparedness month’, it became clear what we needed to do. It's an existential circumstance for Japan, where our products would be most relevant and in need for survival. By featuring our portable lights, we highlighted its significance in Bousai Kits (preparedness kits). To address retail partners' concerns over a digital series because of COVID-19 restrictions, we worked closely with them to have the necessary in-store communications to push both traditional retail tactics, as well as digital engagement. The results turned out favourable for brand awareness, sales in retail, and solidifying the partnership between the brand and distributor plus retail partners.

The Creative Idea (20% of vote)

Battery brands talk about batteries first; however, we shifted focus to our portable lights. Energizer Japan launched an interactive, HTML-animated manga series where Mr. Energizer and friends fight off creatures of the dark using their ‘Bousai Kits’ containing Energizer Lights products. Lights that turned into weapons to beat the dark and restore normalcy. Targeted episodic video trailers invited readers to keep following the series as it unfolded. And readers were given a chance to win these ‘Bousai Kits’ too through Easter eggs hidden within the manga series, which helped them prepare for the disaster season. This was communicated through a social campaign, while retail branding redirected shoppers to the online experience and rewards.

The Outcome / Results (20% of vote)

The increase in awareness, engagement and branding impacted overall sales. We achieved 30K+ recurring readers 4.4 million social media reach 47% increase in market share reaching the top 5 brands in the category and 50% drop in cost to sales ratio We gained 1,359 new touchpoints due to increase in retailer confidence We even ran out of Bousai Kit rewards. And a second series is on its way.

Please tell us about how the work challenged / was different from the brands competitors

Overall, the category is traditional in ways of communication with consumers, mostly relying on instore promos and branding. In Japan, the market is dominated by giant local brands who've built loyalty over generations of consumers. Once we shifted focus to portable lights, and targeted consumers digitally based on a pop-culture passion point, we broke through a barely used channel for the category. We further gamified the online manga to reward readers with Bousai kits, while promoting this in retail as well. By doing that, we linked the different channels (traditional and digital) together so existing buyers don't miss out on winning, while newcomers to the brand through online channels can experience the product and identify it instore. We ended up gaining 1359 new retail touchpoints due retailer confidence, which means 1359 touchpoints less for competitor brands.