The Campaign

Bonds has been Australia's favourite and most iconic underwear brand for 100 years. But with the launch of a new bra range, we had to prove they cater to more than just bottoms. Instead of following fashion convention – insert good-looking women having fun in bras – we wanted an idea bigger than just bras and women. A 'moment' that could stop traffic and get Bonds back into the cultural narrative. So we broke some rules and cheekily changed two letters in the iconic Bonds logo – from 'BONDS' to 'BOOBS'. We rebranded, and for one week everything formally Bonds-branded became Boobs. An integrated PR and outdoor campaign launched the new bra range, which was widely documented in media and on social networks. Bonds became instantly famous for Boobs, as did the new bra range. The campaign generated an 83% sales increase, over $4 million in earned media coverage, and almost 54 million media impressions, making it the most successful launch in Bonds' history to date. PR was the core driver of the rebranding campaign, as every element of the relaunch – from billboards to shopping bags – was designed to stimulate conversation and gain the attention of both the media and the public. Our goal was to create a culturally relevant talking point that would cement the link between Bonds and boobs. We achieved this by creating intriguing and newsworthy content that demanded editorial and social attention, and supported this by sampling with key influencers, bloggers and ambassadors.

The Brief

Our goal was to successfully launch Bonds bras into the market, and to make Bonds as famous for bras as they are for underwear. We needed to grab Australia's attention and prove that Bonds caters for more than just bottoms. Putting Bonds top of mind in the category and establishing the same level of respect they'd earned for underwear was crucial. As was maintaining the cheeky and resoundingly Australian personality of the brand. With this in mind, the objectives were set to increase Bonds' sales by 15%, and to create noise and talk about the important new product launch.

Results

The campaign caused quite a stir. In the first week over $4 million in earned media was generated as the campaign was picked up by every major TV and radio station, newspaper and blogger. Each touch point, from billboards to bags, played a critical role in establishing the newly redesigned brand. These branded elements evolved into shareable social media content, with thousands of Australians photographing the brand. The consumer-generated images were posted on social networks as conversation grew and people shared the campaign. The launch got the attention it deserved, gaining almost 54 million social and editorial media impressions. Bonds became instantly synonymous with boobs, and at this early stage in the campaign the brand's return on investment is a healthy $4.8 million revenue to $1.3 million investment. Most importantly, an 83% increase in brand sales (68% more than anticipated) made Boobs the most successful product launch in Bonds' history.

Execution

In October 2013 we completely rebranded Bonds to announce our new range. Our iconic logo stood for underwear, so we changed it. 'BONDS' became 'BOOBS', allowing us to communicate everything by changing two letters. For an entire week, everything from store signage to shopping bags, receipts, uniforms, the online store, retailer signage and even the Facebook page reflected the new brand and its venture into bras. An outdoor buy launched Boobs to the nation, getting people talking, debating and reappraising. Their reactions were instrumental in driving the campaign, which relied heavily on social and editorial media coverage. Everyone was talking about boobs, from breakfast radio to the nightly news and national newspapers. Because Bonds was already famous for quality, it was simply a matter of creating awareness of the new product, then encouraging trial. We did this by supplying ambassadors and bloggers with the products to sample.

The Situation

The average Australian owns seven pairs of Bonds underwear. Bonds is Australia's most iconic underwear brand. And therein lay our problem – the belief that Bonds is for underwear, and underwear alone. But the opportunity to launch into the lucrative Australian bra market, worth approximately $1 billion a year, was waiting to be seized. This led to a new bra range, taking the comfort and quality Australians have come to love about Bonds underwear, and applying it up top. Bonds invested significantly in the range design and manufacture, and retailers made large pre-orders. We needed to ensure this investment paid off.

The Strategy

Our strategy was born out of the nation's love for this cheeky brand. We set out to leverage this emotional connection by applying Bonds' personality to their new line. Whatever we did, it had to be playful and in character. We had to let people know that Bonds is as serious about tops as the are about bottoms, in Bonds' way. Once we'd landed that piece of logic, the rest flowed. Firstly, we set out to create a bold, memorable act that would create conversation and awareness. Grabbing people's attention was instrumental to getting the impact we needed to ensure the launch succeeded. Once we gained attention, we strategically introduced the new product range in two ways – by inspiring people to go in-store or online to experience the new range (a by-product of phase one), and by seeding the bras amongst influencers and ambassadors to further stimulate conversation and trial.