Why is this work relevant for Media?

Surf has always been present in the media. In previous strategies, apart from TV and radio, digital efforts are mostly focused on social and video platforms such as Facebook and YouTube with the usual video and static ads communicating the brand’s key product messaging. This presented an opportunity in targeting messaging app users. Thus, Surf Fabric Conditioner (Fabcon) tapped a partner to develop a conversational chatbot through Facebook Messenger which is considered the top online messaging tool in the country.

Background

Surf Fabcon is one of the key players in the fabric conditioner space in the Philippines. However, it places as a far second to another brand which takes up 70% of the market. With such a huge gap, Surf Fabcon needs to find spaces where it can differentiate itself and stand out. With downfalls seen since lockdowns happened, this was the situation for Surf to recover, since its products are considered as non-essential amidst the pandemic. Thus, it was key to strategize ways to communicate its relevance in the situation. The goal then is to drive relevance and raise awareness about the necessity of Surf Fabcon’s Charcoal Fresh variant during the rainy season. Surf aims to promote itself as one of the best tools to keep the “kulob” (“musty”) smell at bay, via a chatbot assistant that forecasts weather, shares helpful laundry tips, and provides consumable incentives.

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

Keeping laundry from smelling musty during the rainy season is a problem many Filipinos face this season. Surf wanted to communicate that is is the best tool to keep the “kulob” (“musty”) smell at bay. FILIPINA MOMS HAVE NATURAL MEANS TO CHECK THE WEATHER: SIMPLY LOOKING OUT THEIR WINDOWS. To predict the weather before doing laundry, Filipino moms usually rely on the basic method of observing the clouds in the sky to see if it would pour or not. Based on their own personal and natural way of weather predictions, moms would decide on whether they would do their laundry or not since some moms only rely on the heat of the sun to dry their clothes (no available dryers). These types of moms avoid doing laundry during rainy days since they don’t have the tool to be able to dry their clothes indoors and avoid it from smelling damp.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

SURF LAUNCHED A CONVERSATIONAL CHATBOT, THE SURF ‘LABA-SSISTANT’ (‘LAUNDRY ASSISTANT’), HELPING MOMS DETERMINE WEATHER AND PROVIDE LAUNDRY TIPS AND HACKS. With mobile consumption growth and reliance of Filipinos on Facebook Messenger, Surf tapped into the chatbot technology to further amplify its online presence and accessibility for moms to purchase the product. To drive awareness and conversion, Surf tapped a partner to create a unique chatbot conversation journey for users with the following features: 1. Weather forecasting to let users know when it is ideal to do their laundry 2. Education on laundry practices to avoid “kulob,” can also lead to Cleanipedia, a website for extensive cleaning tips and tricks, including laundry tips and hacks. 3. Provide incentives via U-coin rewards system, free load, or special discounts 4. The chatbot also links consumers to e-retailer Shopee, providing users with a seamless experience to purchase the product.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

THE SURF LABA-SSISTANT CHATBOT FLOW: The chatbot, running on a partner’s Cloud Platform, uses Natural Language Understanding with Artificial Intelligence to interact with users in a more human-like manner. It was also integrated with Dialogflow to connect the chatbot to OpenWeather API for weather forecasting. At the start of the conversation, users can ask for weather forecasts, laundry tips, or other concerns. For other concerns, they will be connected to a human agent. Users asking for weather forecasts will be advised if they should do their laundry or postpone it to a certain day, depending on their location. They can claim free load through the U-Coin reward system, get a special discount on Surf Fabcon Charcoal Fresh or get more laundry tips. For users who choose to get laundry tips, the chatbot suggests Surf’s detergent and fabric conditioner combo, and sends a link to an article on the Cleanipedia website.

List the results (30% of vote)

The conversational assistant was instrumental in supporting Surf’s Charcoal Fresh, especially during the promo period with the U-Coin rewards: • From July to September, there were around 2,400 active users who interacted with the chatbot. Of the overall number of users, 854 (36%) of these made weekly interactions with the chatbot, and 295 (12%) users had done so on a daily basis (versus 30% and 10% targets, respectively) • While most interactions were initiated with the intent to take part in Surf’s promo, a considerable number of users still used the chatbot for weather forecasts. • For the amplifications, programmatic rich media ads achieved a 5.21% CTR (40x higher than the benchmark). • For the Facebook auction ads, it had a CPR (cost per result) of $0.11, 9.4x cheaper than the benchmark. • TV sync ads garnered a CTR of 1.24%, which is 0.2x higher than the benchmark.