The Campaign

In the Philippines, most industries are still focused on above the line advertising, with some spending as much as 95% of their ad budget on TV, print, radio and splitting the rest on outdoor, online and events. But, in recent years, decelerating broadband costs, growing uptake of online gaming, and the viral and social nature of Filipinos, have also led to the growth of online advertising in the Philippines. This is apparent in the slew of brands who are creating viral videos as a platform to push their brand. Very few however, have been able to get video campaigns off the ground and get the views and shares expected; therefore not gainning from their investments on production and paid promotion. The Dove Viral video was one of the few to successfully use the medium in the Philippines. It went on to become one of the most shared videos online and deliver $1 million earned media -- even without promotional spending.

Results

In the Philippines, Dove is a well-loved women's brand epitomizing authenticity, warmth and uncomplicated beauty. Launching a deodorant for men under a woman's brand was obviously a big challenge. Dove Men + Care Deodorant has been in the market since 2010 but has remained quiet and virtually unknown. Meanwhile, competition was making its presence felt via a tough and macho imagery that mirrors the typical Filipino man. For the launch, Dove Men+Care not only needed to make itself known amidst other male grooming brands, it had to set itself apart from all other brands in the male deodorant category. Keeping to the essence of the brand, Men + Care, Dove went on to create something special that showed a side of Filipino men that's usually kept hidden; their caring side. The strategy was to celebrate men who are not afraid to show, that beneath that tough exterior, lies a soft, caring side; and what better time to do this than on Valentine's Day. So, Dove organized a special Valentine's surprise that gave a select group of tough men the opportunity to show their wives and girlfriends how much they care, by doing something they themselves didn't think they could ever do - sing for her in public. Through this Valentine's Day surprise, this group of men accomplished something unexpected that softened the hearts of men and melted the hearts of women. Now, when people think of Dove, not only do they think of men's deodorant they think of men who show they care, without breaking a sweat.

Despite having $0 media budget, the video was able to get 90,000 shares on Facebook, 1,900 Tweets and over 1,000,000 views in just one week. It was initially shared by the team on our personal networks, which was then shared and re-shared by our contacts, until it became the subject of Facebook news feeds and Twitter posts on Valentine's Day. This caught the attention of TV Patrol, a top-rating local news program, which featured the video on the same day, and of local celebrities and influencers who blogged and Tweeted about it -- hence exponentially increasing awareness about the video.

In the Philippines, a lot of brands are trying to capitalize on the high sharing propensity of social networking sites, by coming up with various viral marketing campaigns. There have been very few however who were able to successfully have their videos shared widely online and reach their target audience - Dove was one of them. The video became one of the most shared videos online, garnering more than 90,000 shares and 2,000 Tweets, and 1 million views in just one week. It was also featured in 66 of the Philippines' top blogs, was the topic of discussion in top radio shows, and even caught the attention of the Philippines' top rating news programs, TV Patrol and Bandila. The video's analytics also show that viewership was highest among our target audience (25-35 year olds), and with equal viewership share between males and females; proof that the video indeed delivered the desired results.