The Campaign

Bench, recognizing millennials’ open-mindedness, chose to create a campaign that shared a different kind of love and acceptance, rather than “conventional romance”. Because the film’s message was about love, the brand decided to launch the campaign on one of the most ad-cluttered occasions of the year: Valentine’s Day. The unconventional message that no other brand dared to convey – LGBT love – caught the attention of viewers, especially those who were tired of seeing romantic stories everywhere on social media.

Creative Execution

Bench released an online film for its scent “So In Love”, the main driver of a film about a boy who leads two lives: one that openly crushes on boys in school, and another that hides in his closet from his traditionally macho dad at home. In the end, he finds out that all along, his father loves and accepts him, through a memorable note attached to his favorite cologne saying, “‘Nak, Amoy kita. Love you.”, translating to “Son, I smell you.” – local slang for “I know you’re gay.”

RESULTS (144/150) The film was Valentine’s Day’s social media hit and most talked about video by a retail brand: •1.5 million views in the first 5 hours? •76 thousand comments, 61 thousand shares, 78% organic reach? •34 reactions videos; and reuploads nationwide, eventually extending to 45 different countries ? • 13.8 million total views by the end of the campaign? • Organic pick ups – from local platforms like Rappler, GMA 7, to other countries like Gay.It and CNN Chile ? • $2 million media values vs $25,000 media spend? However, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines called for a boycott of the brand for promoting a “wrong set of family values”, but this only drove in more support and shares from an audience touched by the ad. This deep brand engagement translated to purchase. By the end of the campaign, sales for the fragrance line increased by 31%.

While the Philippines remains to be conservative towards a range of social issues, Filipinos’ attitude towards the LGBT community is changing for the better. However, silence still prevails in the traditional households of most teenage LGBT Filipinos still living in their closets. Bench saw an opportunity to leverage on this issue to convey a compelling and relevant message under its Love Local communications platform, and to convey that it understood its audience more than any other fashion brand. The strategy was to treat such a sensitive issue with tenderness and care, with all the nuances of Filipino culture to set it apart from competition, while still making sure that the product was integral to the storytelling.