Philips Nivea for Men hits the youth market

With a brief to take the shaver to the youth market in order to develop brand loyalty from a young age, Sound Media took the product on a national road show, demonstrating the shaver to school kids, shoppers, varsity students and club-goers.

The first leg of the activation saw the shaver take to the golf course, with a sponsored hole at Dainfern College's annual golf day. Branded and educated promoters were placed on the course, shaving golfers between tee-off's and delivering crucial brand messages. “You wouldn't naturally assume golfers would be up for a spot of shaving on the golf course," comments Jeanne De Power, Sound Media, “but the boys on the course that day were really up for it; creating great awareness to a very brand conscious target market.”

The retail sector was next on the launch agenda. The Philips grooming robot was taken to four malls across the country, with branded promoter staff offering consumers the opportunity to experience the product before purchasing. This proved to be a critical element in a market which offers many different brands to consumers - the successes of this experiential element resulted in all four malls selling out of the product on activation weekend.

Finally, the Philips Nivea for Men concept was taken to students - on campus and in nightclubs. UCT, UKZN and Wits University were targeted during the day, with a corresponding nightclub promotion after dark. Together with branded promo items, Sasha Martinengo and Paul Almeida took to the clubs in a DJ face-off, entertaining the crowds while promoters cleaned up the stubble on eager clubbers.

In addition to branded promoter staff, the entire campaign made use of Bluetooth hypertag technology, inviting consumers to receive mobile marketing messages in exchange for prize handouts.

“Throughout the campaign, consumers were given a physical shaving experience with the new shaver,” adds Lucien Vallen, Marketing Manager, Philips South Africa, “This element is so important when you are in a hotly contested luxury goods market. Sound Media really pulled it off, drawing consumers to engage with the brand and effectively communicating all our differentiators.”

*Throughout the campaign, strict personal hygiene standards were met. Shavers were sanitised to surgical standards between use.