The Brief

When Fisher & Paykel briefed us late last year, they were embroiled in a PR mire. Redundancies, an equity sale and the moving of production to other markets had New Zealanders questioning just how patriotic our most Kiwi of whiteware brands really was. We were challenged to counter these unfortunate events with a campaign that would improve New Zealand’s feelings about Fisher & Paykel and earn them a little forgiveness. The aim of the campaign was single minded - to improve admiration of the Fisher & Paykel brand. To have the majority of New Zealanders feel a greater sense of admiration toward the brand, as measured in TNS’s tracking of ‘admired and respected NZ brands’. To do this we’d need to engage with and create awareness among the majority of New Zealanders.

Creative Execution

Fisher & Paykel were being attacked for off-shoring their manufacturing and ownership, leading to fewer New Zealanders working in fewer factories here in New Zealand. We couldn’t reverse this. But we could remind New Zealanders of the real value of their Fisher & Paykel. The thinking was to celebrate what Fisher & Paykel were really exporters of - brilliantly innovative New Zealand ideas. Our idea was to remember the Fisher & Paykel ideas that have changed the world of whiteware over the past 75 years, but with true Kiwi humility, acknowledge a problem that they’ve never quite managed to solve. Here’s how executed: We open on a gleaming white ‘ideas laboratory’ full with a myriad of appliances in various states of completion. A sign reads: Fisher and Paykel Product Development. An older gentleman in a white lab coat walks into frame. He says to camera: “Hello New Zealand. For 75 years our expert teams of designers and engineers have constantly produced world-class appliances…” He heads across the room where we see a line up of Fisher and Paykel appliances through the ages. Each has the decade it was produced on a sign above it. He continues… He turns to a modern washing machine/dryer combo. He reaches in and pulls out a solitary sock and shakes his head, defeated. “We…just… don’t know what happened to it. So we’d like to give New Zealanders a new pair. On us. It’s our way of saying ‘Sorry’ and letting you know we’re going to keep looking ‘till we find it.” We finish the spot with our guy looking inside and around the back of the machine, scratching his head. This was the introduction to an online experience in which you could tour the history of Fisher & Paykel’s amazing ideas and innovations, but importantly, get a little back for all the socks you’ve lost over the years.

Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective.

The ‘Lost Sock’ phenomenon plays on an insight that all New Zealanders can relate to. Whether a mother with young kids playing rugby, couples living together, guys or girls – we’ve all experienced it. Tonally it brought a warmth, humility and humour to the brand that had been lacking in recent times, and it demonstrated not only that we’d been growing up with New Zealanders for the last 75 years delivering technical innovations that changed people’s lives, but that we understood what it was like to be human too. Testament to that are the 58,320 people who uploaded photos of their lonely socks over the course of the campaign. 147,000 individual visitors came to the site, spending on average 4 minutes there. The feelings of that large majority of New Zealanders toward the Fisher & Paykel brand improved measurably and considerably when compared with those who weren’t aware of the campaign, clearly demonstrating the effects of the campaign.

Results

58,320 kiwis uploaded photos of their lonely socks and redeemed a free pair of socks. 147,000 individual visitors came to the site, spending on average 4 minutes there. Consumer’s verbatims in tracking research included: “They care about the customers not just profits” “The ad is reminding the viewer that they are market leaders in innovative products, and they are a very big brand. However, despite being a big brand they're trying to put a human face on.” The ‘Lost Sock’ phenomenon plays on an insight that all New Zealanders can relate to. Tonally it brought a warmth, humility and humour to the brand. By creating an innovative, fully integrated campaign over a range of media, Fisher & Paykel’s goal to again be an admired and respected brand in the minds of New Zealanders was achieved.