Our first TV spot, thanks to OXY!

In November 2008 OXY re-launched as a totally new advanced skincare range just for boys.

It was a brave and exciting new product; the first on the shelves to be aimed solely at this group.

As with many pitches we went further than showing a website concept. We developed an integrated brand strategy for OXY aimed at gaining stand-out and loyalty in whichever online channel they chose.

This strategy was based around a single big idea to ensure cross-channel coherence. The big idea was based around the idea that girls prefer guys who look after their skin. Therefore 'Girls stick to OXY guys'.

OXY liked our thinking and as well as commissioning us to develop their website, we were invited to develop the TV campaign as well as support other channels like the package design and print advertising to make sure the brand was represented clearly wherever it appears.

Being in the pharmaceutical sector, any advertising material had to be carefully considered to conform to the strict compliance rules governing these types of product.
Our simple, big idea made this process easy (and saved OXY money) because all the copywriting and brand creative was developed and signed-off prior to rolling it out into the various channels.

The new OXY products hit the shelves, screens and the web simultaneously in Q4 2008 and over the following few months the integrated campaign proved to be a big success. In the end the integrated activity we launched included:

• TV
• On-pack messaging
• Website
• Viral video seeding
• PPC
• SEO
• Online media
• Online PR

A great result!

The first pass of the campaign is now complete and the results are something to be proud of.

Awareness rose from 57% to 66% (the only brand to significantly grow awareness over this period) and the research company charted a significant increase in the number of people who would consider buying Oxy. We also had over 750,000 hits on the new oxy.co.uk site.

The campaign succeeded in re-positioning the brand without losing the core message. The target groups of mothers and young men all responded well, with the uplift in awareness most marked in young men.

Research showed that prior to the campaign, respondents were most likely to say that OXY was "for anyone with spots or problem skin" and that it was "really effective against spots". These were also the main perceived values after the campaign but we also saw a significant increase in those saying "it is designed to appeal to young men", this increase being entirely attributable to the young men themselves.

And finally...

OXY beat Lemsip Max All in One, Nicorette Inhalor, Savlon Advanced Gel, E45 Endless Moisture & Optrex Actimist to win the Best New Product launch at the Smart Awards for sales marketing and training in retail.

They said it was…

"The best overall support pre- and post-launch. Elements considered include market research, positioning, consumer advertising, training, detailing, PR, direct marketing, new media, packaging and point-of-sale"

Jill Stuart, OXY Brand Manager said

"We are really excited with the new OXY campaign. Equator have done an amazing job of really understanding our target audience and getting all the communications spot on."