The Campaign

Branded content in the Philippines is not too prevalent just yet as brands are just beginning to realize the role it can play. Branded content mostly involves portion buys in TV shows and music marketing. Music marketing in the Philippines follows a usual formula – getting a new or popular band create a song for the brand. This song will then be pushed in music video channels and radio stations. Once the song has gained traction, the brand will then release a TVC that uses the song. This is very costly and time-consuming.

Results

Strategy and Targeting The 18-24 year old is typically low-involvement with toothpaste. While the brand is saliently youth-oriented (vs Colgate), core users are over-marketed. Music is a key Close-up equity––it pioneered MTV-format ads––because music is a lifestyle driver among its target demographic. Radio is consequently a high-affinity medium. The challenge now really is how to provide a different way to execute music marketing. The Close-up Radio Duet provided a unique listening experience. It brought to life the essence of the brand: toothpaste and mouthwash in one; intimacy and a magical moment that happens when two people, with shiny white teeth and fresh breath, confidently comes close to each other. Media Execution The media team contacted two sister company radio stations that have mobile and web streaming and bought a ROADBLOCK. This enabled us to buy spots on the same day and the same time. This is imperative to make teens experience the two songs simultaneously and make it truly a DUET. A day prior to the big roadblock, DJs of both stations announced the first ever radio duet in Philippines and encouraged listeners to tune in the following day. On the day of the roadblock, the DJs gave opening spiels and provided tips on how to enjoy the song. After which, both stations played the song simultaneously.

Few strategies prove more successful in engaging the youth market than music marketing. But with an audience that seeks and values unique experiences, music marketing’s challenge lay in the fact that many brands tap into to a point of parity and saturation. Close-Up disrupted the music platform: it re-imagined music’s primary medium––radio––and leveraged its youth audience’s retromania and attraction to cultural nostalgia. Close-up rearranged an old hit song two ways. Two radio stations each played a different version of song simultaneously. Tuned in to both stations, listeners heard an incredible mix and enjoyed a completely new music experience.

For client, this enabled them utilize and recycle a 10-year old song to connect to a new and younger market. Since this is a song that they have already bought the royalty, it provided a client savings and still have a way to get into the youth’s conversations in a timely way. Although there are no numbers to support the conversation that resulted from this, views of the 10-year old video uploaded to YouTube, that was once dormant, increased.

This entry is appropriate for the category because it makes use of a pop song. As opposed to other forms of advertising, it does not blatantly have product-sell. It touches on the brand based on the following points: 1. It capitalizes on the brand’s heritage of bringing people iconic love songs because it re-made a song from a campaign 10 years ago. 2. Execution and the lyrics of the song embody the product benefit.