Why is this work relevant for Direct?

We created the world’s first pair of texting undies to remind 18-35 year-old men to check themselves for signs of testicular cancer every month (the best way to prevent it). This helped drive real, life-saving behaviour change in a usually staunch audience. In fact, our texting undies are so direct, that many of our audience are currently wearing our campaign – always reminding them to check themselves for signs of cancer.

Background

Testicular cancer is the most common cancer for 18-35 year old men, but it’s also one of the most treatable cancers if it’s found early. Meaning monthly self-checking for lumps is something every man needs to do. But, 18-35 year old men are also a notoriously hard to reach group. And we didn’t have to just reach them once, we had to reach them every month to help them build a life-saving new habit. But, Testicular Cancer New Zealand is a charity funded by donations. They can’t afford to constantly put out campaigns trying to get young men to check themselves. So we needed a way to cut through to our target group that would last for months of testicle-checking to come, as well as generate some much-needed funds for Testicular Cancer NZ.

Describe the creative idea (30% of vote)

The task was to get a stubborn audience to check themselves with a limited budget. But not just once, we had to do it every month. So regular advertising just wasn’t going to work. We needed to insert ourselves into the daily routines of young men and we did it by getting into their underwear drawers. We created the world’s first pair of texting reminder undies – or “Remundies”. While they may be a little cheeky, and sometimes even a bit rude, these smart undergarments only have one goal – to make sure Kiwi guys form a self-checking habit that could save their lives.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

We needed to find a way to engrain regular self-checking into our audience’s routines. Just like brushing their teeth. But we also needed to do it in a way that raised funds for Testicular Cancer NZ. Remundies was the perfect way in for both of these goals. Selling pairs across New Zealand almost meant we’d have life-saving billboards in the undie drawers of our target group. A constant reminder in itself - something seen every day. On top of that, the texts arrive at the perfect time each month, giving an added kick to get guys into the habit of self-checking. Plus, with a portion of each pair sold going to Testicular Cancer NZ, we would be able to reach our funding goals at the same time.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

Launching at the start of Testicular Cancer Awareness Month (April, 2021), we sent our Remundies off to save-lives with a roll-out lead by the All Blacks – who until now held the title of “New Zealand’s ball experts”. This was complimented by cheeky outdoor ads where our Remundies literally sold themselves, as well as online placements showing up everywhere young men are. We also had tactical placements in gym changing rooms and men’s bathrooms as well as the one place young men search for someone new to text – Tinder. We also created influencer packages that we sent not to the influencers, but to their mums, wives and girlfriends, who are statistically more likely to buy men’s underwear for them than men are. And once a pair was purchased, they essentially became an always on campaign under the pants of Kiwi blokes everywhere, texting them reminders to self-check every month.

List the results (30% of vote)

Over a quarter of all Kiwis were reached by Remundies in less than a month. So, with a portion of every pair of Remundies sold going to Testicular Cancer NZ, they were able to raise 100% of their funding goal. Which was also over 800% more funding than what they received in their last campaign the year prior. This also resulted in a seasonal spike in sales for Jockey who created the underwear for us. But most importantly, Kiwi men began receiving their reminder texts every month helping to create a life-long habit that could in turn make their lives longer.