One of the tougher strategies is to create loyalty for impulse products; in our case it was breath mints. So while competitors skimmed the surface of fresh breath, we delved deeper into the male psyche and pandered to their baser emotion; not just attract women but get women to live out male fantasies. Clorets Dark Secret put control in the hands of young urban men; the idea was breath so fresh and intoxicating that women will literally pole-dance for you. The execution was a pole-dancing contest that engaged the nation.
What was our strategic communications challenge?
Clorets is a breath freshener in a mini mint form. It owns 3.2% share of market in the sugarised candy category (Source - AC Nielsen YTD 2007). There are 3 variants – Ocean mint, Cool mint and Orange mint.
In 2008, Clorets launched a new variant called Dark Secret. Designed predominantly for men aged 25-40, it was positioned as the mint that would provide intoxicatingly seductive breath.
CHALLENGES
A fragmented category
The sugarised candy category is extremely fragmented. Many brands fight for the same slice of pie. The leading competitors in this category are Mentos and Strepsils with 12.6% & 10.4% share of market respectively (Source - AC Nielsen YTD 2007).
Strong competitive brand presence
Mentos and Strepsils consistently outspend the category – and by doing so enjoy strong brand recall. Furthermore, Strepsils has long owned a functional niche - as a product for relief of sore and dry throats.
Top-of-mind, wins
Whichever brand occupies the top‐of‐mind position during the purchase consideration process tends to succeed in this category.
OUR RESPONSE
The budget for the launch campaign was limited. The competition for eyeballs would have to move online, underground, through hushed whispers and water-cooler gossip. It was designed to break enough social and moral norms while still remaining acceptable in a country where censorship is stringent and ‘improper’ behavior is highly discouraged.
What were our campaign objectives?
GAIN 13% - Increase in sales by end of 2008 with the launch of the Dark Secret variant.
BUILD A PLATFORM - A unique platform for Clorets that will build brand preference and boost consumption
CREATE NEWS - For the brand and drive top‐of‐mind recall.
What was our big idea?
“Everyone has a dark secret – Clorets is the catalyst that helps them turn it loose.”
How did we arrive at the big idea?
From Cloret’s brand essence ‐ the ‘Power of Fresh Breath’, Dark Secret took, well, the darker route. How could this power be used? Or better still, abused?
Urban Malaysian consumers are modern and fairly well exposed. But the majority tends to be inhibited, and lean toward group-think as opposed to individualism. Also, many years of moral and social norms have built an unwritten ‘bible’ as to what is proper and what is not.
Some of these consumers go clubbing regularly. The social scene is thriving, but still, there are ‘self-imposed’ limits. However, when asked, about their ultimate goals – male responses tended toward what one would fantasise about, such as “I bet she’s wild” to “Sweet outside, naughty inside”.
So if Clorets can produce breath that’s intoxicatingly fresh – can it get attractive members of the opposite sex to do your bidding?
How did we bring the idea to life?
There was an existing regional Cinema commercial which was adapted for local use. It featured a young man whose powerfully sexy breath could make women melt. They looked like angels, but they had an inner demon. For him, they struck sexy poses and pulled suggestive moves.
But the competition had a massive media budget. To expand the effect of the commercial, we had to mine elsewhere.
In Malaysia, strip clubs and pornography are illegal. Skimpily dressed entertainers are frowned upon, sometimes banned. But surprisingly, the stripper’s traditional money maker - pole dancing – is showing up as form of exercise. A very small trend, it appears in fitness clubs where enthusiasts can practice behind closed doors.
It was a perfect fit. And Malaysia’s first-ever Amateur Pole Dancing Competition was born.
Pole dancing in public was scandalously delicious. Could we get away with it?
One of the main drivers was PR. To balance the spin on what was positively naughtiness, the ‘new fitness trend’ angle was played up. Professional pole-dancing instructors were tapped and they also starred in instructional videos. With the backing of a few well-established fitness centres, it gained a form of legitimacy. Two celebrity ambassadors were also utilised.
But what was important was this: Pole dancing had been shoved right into the faces of a delighted Malaysian audience. Still naughty enough to titillate, yet nice enough to push the boundary of what is acceptable and help grow this form of dance in the country.
The competition was split into stages:
First, participants (mostly female) would be invited to post short videos of themselves pole dancing on the Dark Secret website. Interactive instructional videos were there to suggest dance moves.
The next stage involved voting. Visitors to the website could view each video and vote for it. Not unlike what happens on, well, naughtier sites.
The winners moved on to the grand finale, a live event held at a popular nightclub. The celebrity ambassadors also showed off their own pole dance routine to the crowd’s delight.
All the other communication opportunities took on a naughtier edge. Posters encouraging participation were placed in clubs and fitness centres. Designed in the form of humorous instructions, some said “wear appropriate clothing – bare skin on a metal pole = more grip” (a win-win situation for the performer and audience). Press ads also took on the same theme.
On-ground, promoters (stunning ones, who else?) would hand out product samples, perform a quick pole-dance then hand out business cards that said, “Hot music. 15 babes. 1 pole. Do the math. www.CloretsPower.com”
How do we know it worked?
15% sales increase within 4 months
During the recruitment months of April – July 2008 alone (Source – Nielsen Retail Audit July 2008)
24% sales increase for total year
The brand’s highest ever sales growth, and double the initial target of 13% (Source‐ Nielsen Retail Audit Dec 2008)
Brand awareness up 10%
From May to Dec 2008 (Source – Nielsen Retail Audit Dec 08)
1094% return on PR value
Generated PR value was over RM748, 932, over ten times what was spent through June ‐ Oct 2008 (Source ‐ Salina & Associates PR Sdn Bhd)
31,679 unique views
The website also recorded a total vote count of 10,494 from 7 July – 7 Sept 2008 (Source: Google Analytics)
Top 6 search results
Out of 1.9 million Google searches on ‘pole dancing’ as of 19 Sept 2008 (Source: Google Analytics)
180 sampling locations
Reached 200,000 people in only 3 weeks (Source: Internal client data)
An extremely small group of dance instructors who were adding pole dancing to their list of available dance classes. Pole-dancing as a trend was already beginning, but progress was quiet and slow.
The popularity of reality competition shows – The Malaysian version of “So You Think You Can Dance” had aired its first season in 2007. This may have helped consumers to accept shedding their inhibitions and give in to desire to perform and win.
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