AID COUTURE

Silver Spike

Case Film

Presentation Board

TitleAID COUTURE
BrandPROCTER & GAMBLE
Product / ServiceARIEL & DOWNY PARFUM
CategoryA02. Corporate Responsibility
EntrantLEO BURNETT MANILA, THE PHILIPPINES
Entrant Company LEO BURNETT MANILA, THE PHILIPPINES
Advertising Agency LEO BURNETT MANILA, THE PHILIPPINES
Production Company SAGA EVENTS Manila, THE PHILIPPINES

Credits

Name Company Position
Raoul Panes Leo Burnett Manila Chief Creative Officer/Copywriter
Dante Dizon Leo Burnett Manila Creative Director
Dino Cabrera Leo Burnett Manila Digital Creative Director
Aimee Espiritu/Maui Reyes/Lexie Dy Leo Burnett Manila Copywriters
Dante Dizon/Ella Quiogue/Am Valdez/Stephanie Mangalindan/Dean Delos Santos/Fritz Leo Burnett Manila Art Directors
Lady Cajanding/May Dalisay/Stel Angeles/Jenna Adevoso/Keena Piedad/Marissa Abaya Leo Burnett Manila Copywriter
Rusby Gonzales Leo Burnett Manila Final Artist
Meng Morales Leo Burnett Manila Social Media Manager/Project Manager
Carlo Dionisio Leo Burnett Manila Head Of Channels
Jarmaine Sotto Leo Burnett Manila Community Manager
Fritz Valientes/Jason Lorenzo Leo Burnett Manila Designers
Ben Chan Leo Burnett Manila Photographer
Am Valdez Leo Burnett Manila Illustrator
Onik Barbosa/Chichay Matias/Andy Rivera Leo Burnett Manila Accounts
Saga Productions Production Company
Soundesign Audio House
Paolo Escanillas Music Composer/Arranger
Dindo Pangalanan/Elmer Pueblo Production Designers
Fritz Valientes/Robert Perez/Dino Cabrera/Ronie T. Villanueva Leo Burnett Manila Digital Art Directors

The Campaign

P&G was looking for a way to strengthen the emotional connection of its brands Ariel and Downy with the Filipino consumer. We looked into their partnership with the Philippine National Red Cross, which receives 18 tons of donated clothes yearly. A good number are fashionable pieces inappropriate for calamity victims. There had to be a way to convert these into food, water and other essentials. Fashion finds were washed with Ariel and Downy. Top stylists curated fashionable collections. We distributed press kits inspired by first aid kits to the media. We promoted the cause across various media platforms and it quickly spread. Eight days before Aid Couture, Typhoon Haiyan struck. More people pitched in, with many even offering their services pro bono. The clothes were sold in a one-of-a-kind clothing sale where every detail spoke of aid. Price tags and receipts showed life essential equivalents. There was a real-time sales tracker on-site and online. In two days, Aid Couture raised about Php 600,000 worth of aid for Typhoon Haiyan victims. P&G earned a total media value of nearly Php 10 million—WITHOUT any actual media money spent. The project had the strong element of creativity, making it stand out from other fundraising efforts to capture people’s attention. To a public inundated by numerous causes, Aid Couture offered shopping without the guilt. It also sent a strong, positive message to consumers without exploiting their preferences on the participating brands.

The Brief

P&G wanted to strengthen its human connection with the Filipino consumer. We looked at P&G’s relationships with charitable organizations like the Philippine Red Cross. About 20 typhoons hit the Philippines yearly, leaving thousands of casualties. And each year, the Red Cross receives 18 tons of donated clothes. A good number are fashionable pieces inappropriate for calamity victims. More than long gowns and leather jackets, survivors need food and other essentials. We aimed to convert fashion into real aid, targeting the upper- and middle-class. They appreciate fashion. They are also predisposed to supporting charitable causes. And we needed their undivided attention.

Results

Aid Couture, the one-of-a-kind clothing sale, was witnessed by some 120,000 people. In two days, it raised almost Php 600,000 worth of aid for Typhoon Haiyan victims—from ZERO investment on donated clothes. The real-time sales tracker converted this to 8,610 hot meals, 2,640 bottles of water, 255 medicine kits, 372 wound cleanser kits, 597 blanket and mat sets, 258 mosquito nets, 157 hygiene kits and 375 food supply packs. Computations by Campaigns PR Inc. (CAPRI) showed total media value earned was almost Php 10 million without any actual media money spent by P&G. This included values from print, broadcast, online articles and social media. The campaign received 1,587,850,171 impressions. With the event staged eight days after Typhoon Haiyan, P&G was perceived as a company that was immediately responsive to the needs of the Filipinos with highly favorable mentions in traditional and social media.

Execution

For four weekends, fashion finds were segregated from piles in Red Cross warehouses. These were made fresh and clean again with Ariel and Downy at a central laundry station for five days. Top stylists curated these into fashionable collections. Infographics were created to communicate how these clothes converted into aid. These appeared in posters and on social media. We sent press kits inspired by first aid kits to the media, and also promoted the cause in print, TV and radio features. Just eight days before Aid Couture, Typhoon Haiyan struck. This prompted us to work even harder. We decided to give 100% of the proceeds to Haiyan victims. From November 16-17, clothes were displayed boutique-style at the Aid Couture pop-up store in a busy mall. Every detail spoke of aid. Price tags and receipts showed life essential equivalents. The real-time sales tracker made every purchase count on-site and online.

The Situation

Procter & Gamble wanted to strengthen its bond with the Filipino consumer. Its brands like Ariel and Downy are household staples recognized as superior brands. But more than their utilitarian benefits, there was an opportunity to heighten an emotional connection with the consumer with P&G seen as responsive to the needs of the people. There was no real budget for this effort. So we looked at available resources—like their partnership with the Red Cross. With the Philippines ravaged by about 20 typhoons yearly, the Red Cross receives 18 tons of donated clothes. We saw an opportunity there.

The Strategy

Aid Couture came from the idea that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. The piles of donated yet inappropriate clothes stockpiled in Red Cross warehouses and the thousands of calamity victims in need of aid gave us the impetus for Aid Couture. We divided the project into three phases: 1. Preparation – clothes sorting to washing. 2. Promotions via traditional media, digital and outdoor. 3. Selling – the Aid Couture sale event itself. As there was no real budget to speak of, all these involved pro bono partnerships with organizations like a washing machine manufacturer, a laundry shop chain, publications, TV and radio stations, online fashion magazines, bloggers, stylists and celebrities.