Campaign: Lynx Pulse (Launch)
Client: Lever Faberge
Agency: Bartle Bogle Hegarty
Principal authors: Gwen Raillard, Bartle Bogle Hegarty; Will Nicholls,
Bartle Bogle Hegarty
Media used: TV, interactive, print, PR, press, outdoor, ambient
CASE SUMMARY
To get around the clutter and noise of traditional fine fragrance marketing, Lever Faberge and its agencies decided to dive headlong into the even more cluttered, and certainly noisier, world of popular youth culture.
Rather than the relatively straightforward brief to launch a new product, the agency team was asked to create a phenomenon. Its challenge was to compete with Big Brother, Pop Idol and I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here! in terms of buzz, talkability and intrusiveness. No pressure then.
Taking inspiration from the product's name, "Pulse", and its iconic green-dot packaging, the idea was to focus on music and dance. The relatively unheard-of track Make Luv, by DJ Room 5, was selected plus a series of simple dance moves that would, they hoped, be aped on British dancefloors.
Rather than behave as an FMCG brand, the agencies looked to the entertainment industry for inspiration. Make Luv was made available to key opinion formers in bars and clubs. Pulse merchandise followed, then the dance was brought to life online before the TV commercial, featuring your typical loveable geek, hit TV screens.
The case showed that integrated communications are twice as effective at getting return on investment as traditional advertising-only campaigns.
The judges' view
Lynx, which won Best Media, created a "music and dance" phenomenon to launch Lynx Pulse and generated incremental revenue of £20 million. Make Luv went straight to number one and the dance was soon being copied up and down the country.
A triumph for popular culture, this case offers up new industry learning on communication as brand entertainment.
