The Brief

P&G was looking for a way to strengthen the emotional connection of its brands Ariel and Downy with the Filipino consumer. There was no real budget, so we looked at available resources—like their partnership with the Red Cross, which receives 18 tons of donated clothes yearly. A good number are fashionable pieces inappropriate for calamity victims. After a typhoon, when the hot sun is up again, Pedro in a leather jacket and Maria in a long gown become absurd. There had to be a way to convert fashion into food, water and medicine.

Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation

These clothes could be worth more when sold. Fashion finds were set aside and washed with Ariel and Downy. Top stylists curated the clothes into fashionable collections. We spread the word across various media platforms. Infographics utilizing equations were created to communicate how buying these clothes converted into aid. These encouraged people to support, as they know where their money will go. The clothes were sold at the Aid Couture store set up in the middle of a busy mall. Price tags and receipts showed life essential equivalents. The real-time sales tracker announced every purchase’s conversion on-site and online.

Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results

With several charitable organizations asking for donations year-round, Filipinos can get numb with causes. Shopping at Aid Couture gave them a fun way to help those in need. It’s shopping without the guilt. Almost Php 600,000 worth of aid for Typhoon Haiyan victims was raised in two days—from ZERO investment on donated clothes. P&G earned a total media value of nearly Php 10 million—WITHOUT any actual media money spent. 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.

Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service

Aid Couture came from the idea that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. The piles of clothes stocked in Red Cross warehouses seemed worthless, but they could be valuable to others, like people who love to shop and appreciate good value. Before selling the clothes, these had to be repackaged as desirable fashion pieces. P&G helped make this happen, with the promises of Ariel to make clothes look like new and Downy to give fine fragrances to clothes. This was well in line with P&G’s commitment to be “truly touching Filipino lives.”