Why is this work relevant for Brand Experience & Activation?

The Listerine BIBIGkasin Challenge engaged the target audience by letting them pay tribute to the Filipino language during the Month of Philippine Languages. The campaign also reflected the brand’s promise of keeping mouths strong and healthy by engaging people through a challenge that puts their oral health to the test. Through the BIBIGkasin Challenge, people were made aware of their oral health while celebrating their national language in a fun and shareable experience.

Background

The Filipino language is beautiful and rich in meaning. But some words can be challenging to pronounce, so they aren’t often used anymore. With English becoming more and more commonplace in the Philippines, nowadays, a lot of Filipinos struggle with their own language. Because Listerine stands for keeping mouths confident and healthy for any challenge, the brand wanted to help Filipinos appreciate their national language and enjoy speaking it. With Buwan ng Wika (the Month of Philippine Languages) being celebrated in August, the perfect opportunity came up.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

Listerine launched BIBIGkasin Challenge, a tongue-twisting challenge for Filipino mouths. The name is a combination of the words “bibig” (mouth) and “bigkasin” (to say). Inspired by the perks of having a healthy mouth, six Filipino tongue twisters were created. These were launched as whimsical posters for a social campaign that showcases the beauty of the language, highlights the benefits that Listerine provides, and also puts mouths to the test.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

With great oral health, there’s nothing that can stop mouths from doing anything like eating bold food, smiling for the camera, and even speaking a tough language. Through a trending challenge, Listerine helped Filipinos pay tribute to their local language in a fun and engaging way while staying relevant to the brand. People were dared to try saying the tongue twisters and post their attempts in their Facebook and Instagram Stories using the hashtag #BibigkasinChallenge. These generated videos of people who struggled but pushed through the tongue twisters, learned new Filipino words, or confidently showed off their healthy mouths that took on the challenge. Either way, the campaign got people enjoying and showing some love for their native language.

Describe the execution (30% of vote)

Six new Filipino tongue twisters were created. These featured uniquely Filipino words, with some being tough to pronounce. Each one told a story related to one of Listerine’s six oral health benefits: plaque removal, strong teeth, healthy gums, fresh breath, white teeth, and a germ-free mouth. To visualize the fun story of each tongue twister, these were turned into colorful posters with whimsical mouth illustrations. The tongue twisters were then shared through a social media campaign during the month-long celebration of Filipino languages. Each poster had a call for people to try saying them out loud, and to post their attempts in their social media feeds and stories.

List the results (30% of vote)

Listerine helped get more people to speak the Filipino language, while also increasing its brand relevance. *Highest market share at 52.7% vs. Colgate Plax (main competitor) *15.7% higher link clicks vs. KPI

Please tell us about the cultural insight that inspired the work

In the Philippines, English is so commonly spoken. This makes the Filipino language less and less familiar even to locals. However, Filipinos are always up to participate in trending challenges. Listerine stands for keeping mouths confident and healthy, and with Buwan ng Wika (the Month of Philippine Languages) coming up, the brand wanted to get Filipinos to speak and appreciate their language more while putting their oral health to the test.