Background

THE INTIMACY OF 1:1 In 2020, one of the most effective ways to deploy targeted, cross-platform advertising is through third-party cookies. However, by 2022 Google will no longer be supporting these cookies, leaving brands to find new ways of creating 1:1 relationships with their consumers. At the heart of this challenge is creating an e-commerce platform that keeps LifeStyles customers coming back, building engagement and loyalty. OUR OBJECTIVE Getting people to engage with LifeStyles on a 1:1 level, as measured by: ● First-party data (emails, phone numbers) ● Email engagement (Unique CTR, Unique Open Rates) ● Organic social growth ● Repeat visits Our brief: Reinforce LifeStyles’ position as a leading sexual health and wellness brand by creating a lasting relationship with consumers outside of the bedroom.

Describe the creative idea (30% of vote)

PUBLICLY TRADED Publicly Traded is a stock-market inspired, e-commerce platform for LifeStyles that uses compelling data visualization and an engaging discounting mechanic to create value for customers – inspiring them to provide their email address and phone number for future communication. Because STIs, like stocks, are Publicly Traded. COMBINING SEX AND SEARCH As Australians search their symptoms, our platform uses the Google Trends API to gather real-time data on Australia’s six top STIs: chlamydia, HIV, syphilis, herpes, gonorrhoea, and HPV. “BRINGING THE DEAD FACTS TO LIFE” Our algorithm pulls STI search data every 15 minutes, then visualizes it into six stock charts – so users can see how the “market” is performing. INVERSE PRICING MECHANIC Our six charts are aggregated into a single composite – The STI Index, which drives inverse pricing for LifeStyles Condoms. So when the need for protection is the greatest, accessibility for LifeStyles is the highest.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

LINKING SEX, STOCKS AND STIs Sex is a lot like stocks. Both have similar risk-to-reward profiles that appeal to young men between the ages of 18-35. According to the CFA Institute, young millennial men are 14% more likely to invest in than women. They also account for 56% of all new STI cases in Australia, according to the AIHW. We saw an opportunity to use this audience as the bedrock of our strategic foundation – informing the purpose, tone, and direction of the campaign. GLOBAL DATA, LOCAL INSIGHTS We started by tapping into the Google Trends platform, which allowed us to examine search interest for any given STI over time, where it’s most searched, and what else people searched in connection with it. We then created an algorithm that pulls real-time Australian search data on the country’s most active STIs, and used compelling data visualization to bring it to life.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

TAKING STIs PUBLIC To launch, we pushed IPO-themed ads across Instagram, Facebook, and financial websites from July 22, 2020 to August 24, 2020 – encouraging Australians to ‘Invest in safer sex’ at PubliclyTraded.com.au. PULLING DATA, PUSHING ADS As we monitored our platform, we noticed STI-related searches were spiking late at night across the country. We activated against these trends by deploying hyper-targeted ads when and where STIs were trending. So if Chlamydia searches surged in Darwin at 2AM, or in Adelaide at 4AM – LifeStyles was there with relevant, contextual messages. FROM MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS TO EMAIL ACQUISITION Customers can buy in real time or sign up for Price Alerts – an automated function powered by the Acoustic platform that triggers personalized notifications when condoms hit their desired price. Users can sign up for Price Alerts via email or SMS, providing LifeStyles with an opportunity for 1:1 communication.

List the results (30% of vote)

BRAND BUILDING 931% increase in social lift across Instagram and Facebook. 1.64 million earned media hits in the first month. CREATING ENGAGEMENT 207% increase in repeat visits vs. LifeStyles’ previous sexual health awareness campaign. 47.37% Unique Open Rate – Beat the retail/e-commerce industry benchmark by 72%. 21.05% Unique CTR – Beat the retail/e-commerce industry benchmark by 150%. LONG-TERM VALUE 100% increase in monthly CRM sign-ups, including email addresses and phone numbers. PR “A dramatically different, fresh era of condom marketing.” – PENTHOUSE “The D2C brand war is on.” – STRATEGY “This is as sexy as stocks get.” – THE HUSTLE Top 25 Contagious Ad Campaigns of 2020 – contagious.com