THE '+' PROJECT

TitleTHE '+' PROJECT
BrandROYAL PHILIPS
Product / ServiceBRANDING AND REPUTATION
CategoryA02. Best Use of Social Media
EntrantFLEISHMAN-HILLARD, SINGAPORE
PR Agency FLEISHMAN-HILLARD, SINGAPORE
Entrant Company FLEISHMAN-HILLARD, SINGAPORE

Credits

Name Company Position
Carol Park Onevoice (Access Pr) Managing Director
Louisa Tuhatu Onevoice (Fleishmanhillard) Senior Vice President/Partner
Shafaat Hussain Onevoice (Fleishmanhillard) Senior Vice President/Partner
Surasarang Tanyawan Onevoice (Sparks) Account Manager
Gareth Marshall Onevoice (Sparks) Account Director
Nazrya Octora Onevoice (Fleishmanhillard) Senior Account Executive
Samantha Ng Onevoice (Fleishmanhillard) Senior Account Executive
Jon Chin Onevoice (Fleishmanhillard) Senior Vice President/Head Of Digital/Southeast Asia

The Campaign

The Philips ‘+’ Project was conceived to position Philips as more than just a lighting solutions provider or a consumer lifestyle conglomerate, but as a company deeply committed to improving the health and wellbeing of people. Early 2012, the ‘+’ Project was launched in Indonesia and Thailand and in the latter half of 2012 Singapore and Korea; it underwent a significant evolution since then. Centered around the key themes of Livable Cities, Healthy Living and Access to Healthcare, the ‘+’ Project made use of online crowdsourcing efforts, active engagement on social media networks and influencer outreach programs to tap into the public psyche and address the localized concerns in the four countries. In so doing, the ‘+’ Project not only provided individuals with a platform to voice their concerns about community issues, but also furnished them with the opportunity to translate their passions into tangible solutions, all under a budget of US$50,000. Among the top ideas voted for implementation included a school lunch program that engaged top chefs to design healthy meals. The ‘+’ Project was indisputably a success, raising Philip’s brand profile and driving up sales, brand awareness and purchase intent in the region. More significantly, Philips demonstrated its initiative in stepping beyond its corporate role and highlighted its passion for improving the lives of individuals. The Project reached over 70 million people across the four markets, with more than 7,000 ideas submitted. Strategic partnerships forged with relevant stakeholders further ensured the sustainability of the ‘+’ Project.

The Brief

Leveraging on social media, the Philips ‘+’ Project aimed to establish Philips as an innovative and collaborative health and well-being company. ‘+’ symbolized Philips’ commitment to collaborating with local stakeholders and solving community-specific problems. The project would provide a sustainable platform for business development, sales and partnerships in the Asia Pacific, allowing Philips to build up its brand name and support its growth goals in the region. A diverse but cohesive target audience mix was selected for the Indonesian, Thai, Singaporean and Korean markets: • Healthcare clinicians, hospital administrators and home-care patients; • Lighting consumers and professional lighting decision-makers; • Affluent and upper/middle-income consumers

Results

The ‘+’ Project was an undeniable success across the countries. Philip’s objective of accelerating brand preference was met, with double-digit growth in this area. Brand association showed significant improvement in Indonesia, Thailand and Korea (by 11%, 11% and 16% as did purchase intent (11%, 13%, 16) respectively. Sales increased by 10% and 15% in Indonesia and Thailand respectively. In addition, the ‘+’ Project highlighted its potential as a sustainable business development platform. Strong partnerships were forged with government bodies and key stakeholders in each market. These alliances amplified the reach of the ‘+’ Project. In terms of online engagement, the response to the ‘+’ Project was overwhelmingly positive. Reaching over 70 million people the campaign generated more than 28,000 conversations; over 7,000 ideas were submitted and more than 100,000 votes were cast in support. The ‘+’ Project generated significant media interest and secured top coverage in local, and international publications.

Execution

Individuals in Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and Korea were asked to submit their ideas for improving the well-being in their communities through the online Philips ‘+’ Campaign Platform, focusing on the themes of Livable Cities, Healthy Living, and Access to Healthcare. Tapping on social media, alongside launch events and blogger and influencer outreach programs, to crowd-source ideas, Philips urged individuals to solve the biggest problems in their communities. Numerous discussions were generated on Facebook and Twitter weekly to pique interest in the ‘+’ Project. Following this, the winning idea for each theme was picked by online votes, external key opinion leaders and Philips executives. The top-voted ideas were: a school lunch program that engages top chefs to design healthy meals; a solar lighting program in public parks; and a collaboration with schools to reduce myopia and aid sleeping patterns. These solutions were then brought to life under a US$50,000 budget each.

The Situation

As a global leader in healthcare, lifestyle and lighting, Philips combines technology and design to develop solutions for health and well-being. However, research has shown that Philips is known, in Indonesia, as a light-bulb company, and, in Thailand, Singapore and Korea, as a consumer lifestyle company. Philips needed to change this perception to show that it is much more, demonstrating its central commitment to improve the health and wellbeing of people. A campaign was therefore required to recast Philips as a company that actively helps people overcome complex challenges and difficult barriers to living better lives.

The Strategy

A three-part strategy was deployed to engage and rally audiences in Philips’ mission to improve lives. • Engage the general public, key partners and key opinion leaders in understanding local health and well-being issues and in collaborating with Philips to surface innovative solutions to these problems o Emphasis on key themes: Livable Cities, Healthy Living, and Access to Healthcare • Leverage on the ubiquity of urban Internet access and social media platforms to communicate directly with stakeholders and harness interest in improving conditions that affect health and wellness. • “Crowd-source” to capture local ideas that Philips can then channel into improving lives.