Why is this work relevant for Media?

We moved away from our traditional retail-focused communication to digital channels to guarantee consumer engagement regardless of covid restrictions, and used a dynamic Manga medium to tell stories because of its pop-culture significance, low-cost and wide readership. The series ran on an Energizer website, and was supported by our social channels (Twitter, Instagram mainly) that ran targeted videos and posts. The medium allowed us to innovate new ways of viewer engagement with every new manga issue, based on previous issues and activities learnings. The idea and execution were not possible without reliance/shift to digital media.

Background

Energizer had low brand awareness in Japan, and the pandemic disruptions made it clear that Energizer needed to innovate to engage with consumers and build brand affinity, regardless of the status of on-ground/in-store activity. During the spring of 2020, Energizer had to relook at the way it communicated with consumers, and had to innovate to be more relevant. As Japan is prone to natural disasters, disaster-proofing is a crucial drill, which results in a surge of shopping activity in the middle of the year with people spending on emergency essentials. This was a clear opportunity for Energizer Lights, but there was the added challenge of the effects and disruptions of the Coronavirus, and considering the brand’s low marketing efforts in the country, Energizer Japan had to find an innovative way to penetrate the market, engage and communicate with people, and build brand affinity.

Describe the creative idea / insights (30% of vote)

Battery brands talk about batteries first; however, we shifted focus to our portable lights, and developed a digital entertainment platform to increase engagement. These products and the light beams that they generate became tools and weapons to fight the darkness, and be prepared to face possible disasters by winning "Bousai" kits. We flipped our usual way of communication, by moving away from promoting batteries, to launching our portable lights to have a voice in the "national disaster preparedness month", and increase brand awareness. This allowed us to contextualize and visualize our products better in these situations, including placing them as survival tools for conquering the dark in an html-manga series. We moved away from our traditional retail-focused communication to digital channels to guarantee consumer engagement regardless of covid restrictions, and used a beautifully dynamic Manga medium to tell stories because of its pop-culture significance, low cost and wide readership.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

There's an existential issue for Japan, which is surviving natural disasters. It's a constant threat, which affects the Japaneses' daily lives of being prepared in case disaster happens. The idea of always being at the ready is reinforced every year, in a disaster preparedness months, especially for those who haven't been through a disaster before. By positioning our portable lights as tools to fight off the darkness in the Manga series, we placed Energizer as part of the preparedness drive, and raised awareness of the brand through our lights. By having new monthly issues, we were able to innovate new ways of viewer engagement every month, based on the previous manga issues and activities' learnings. These updated and evolving approaches allowed us to change the targeted social communication, as well as the interactivity on the digital manga, enabling readers to engage in new ways, and win.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

We turned our portable lights into adventure tools, by developing a story, "Let there be Light", that would take people on a journey around Japan following a sudden crisis, and created characters that everyone could relate to. It's a group that overcomes the darkness when they discover that their Energizer Lights ‘Bousai Kits’ are the answer, told in an html-animated manga series. Each product had a special power, thereby highlighting its USP, while the importance of being prepared with ‘Bousai Kits’ was emphasised in a creative way. Readers could win limited edition ‘Bousai Kits’ themselves by finding and clicking on hidden badges embedded in the manga series, and then registering online. Targeted animated, episodic video teasers and social posts were used to drive engagement and awareness without excessive spends, while retail branding directed shoppers to the online experience and rewards.

List the results (30% of vote)

The increase in awareness, engagement and branding impacted overall sales. We achieved 30K+ recurring readers 4.4 million social media reach 47% increase in market sales reaching the top 5 brands in the category and 50% drop in cost to sales ratio We gained 1,359 new touchpoints due to increase in retailer confidence We even ran out of Bousai Kit rewards. And a second series is on its way.