Scope: BACON

Credits & Description:

Advertiser: P&G
Agency: PUBLICIS KAPLAN THALER, MSL GROUP
Category: Best Use of Social Media
Bal Worldwide Account Director: Angela Pasqualucci (Publicis Kaplan Thaler)
Director: Bradonio (East Pleasant)
Chief Technology Officer: Brian Skahan (Publicis Kaplan Thaler)
Tech Lead: Franklin Williams (Publicis Kaplan Thaler)
Account Director: Margarita Miranda-Abate (MSL)
Social Strategist: Kathleen Hartnett (Publicis Kaplan Thaler)
Director Of Interactive Production: Mikey Centrella (Publicis Kaplan Thaler)
Analytics Lead: Anna Kuhn (Publicis Kaplan Thaler)
Creative Director: Carlos Figueiredo (Publicis Kaplan Thaler)
Copywriter: Hoyt Dwyer (Publicis Kaplan Thaler)
Agency Producer: Jeri Slater (Publicis Kaplan Thaler)
Art Director: Silvina Guerreiro (Publicis Kaplan Thaler)
Vice President On Scope: Stephanie Friess (MSL)
Interactive Producer: Vincent Lauziere (Publicis Kaplan Thaler)
Global Digital Strategist: Andres Mongrue (SMG)
Executive Creative Director: David Corr (Publicis Kaplan Thaler)
Account Executive: Kaitlin Lebbad (Publicis Kaplan Thaler)
Global Group Account Director: Kate Stirrat (Publicis Kaplan Thaler)
Senior Account Supervisor: Rachel Wiese (MSL)
Chief Creative Officer: Rob Feakins (Publicis Kaplan Thaler)

Campaign Description
In July 2012, Scope launched a new brand persona targeting younger consumers who wanted to uncover their social courage. This new persona redefined the bland mouthwash category and resulted in a 316% increase of Facebook fans and a stronger overall presence in social media. Based on the desire to engage with consumers in a courageous way, Scope recognized a unique opportunity with April Fool’s. The overall campaign goals were to increase fan engagement and acquisition and generate brand awareness. Through a mix of research and heavy dose of imagination, the team devised 'Scope Bacon', a fake mouthwash. The result was a fully integrated social prank that involved a shareable online video, Facebook and Twitter content, a real product page, a half page ad in USA Today and influencer outreach, all in the brand’s tone of voice. The Scope Bacon campaign is worthy of a PR Lions because of its: maximized PR engagement in a short time frame:•HIGHLY PROVOCATIVE CONTENT THAT ACCELERATED BUZZ: Enticed media and fans to engage, driving conversation far beyond social media•CREATIVELY MAXIMIZED BRAND ENGAGEMENT THROUGH STRATEGIC STAGING: Extended duration for longest possible amount of time through three specific time frames: Teaser (pre-launch), Reveal on April 1st, and Post Reveal (April 2nd)•RECORD-SETTING RESULTS: Engaged 7.5 million fans via the brand’s Youtube page, earned more than 30,000 new Facebook fans and generated over 1 billion impressions (of which 868 million were earned) in a single week

Effectiveness
The campaign fueled a media frenzy and broke category records.•OUTPUT/AWARENESSo7.5 million video views on Youtube in a single weeko125 million Facebook/Twitter impressions resulting in highest fan engagement for the categoryoTrending topic on CNN.com o2nd most viewed post on PerezHilton.com for the week of March 25th o520 media placements globally including Yahoo.com, Huffington Post, Mashable, CNBC, USA Today, Allure, MSNC.com, Aol.com, The TODAY Show, Perez Hilton and Ad Age•KNOWLEDGE/CONSIDERATIONoProduct benefits and content featured in more than 70% of media coverageo500 fans asked Scope on Facebook to actually create product after prank was revealed •ACTION/BUSINESS IMPACToThe campaign prompted top retailers such as Wal-Mart and Walgreens to consider future partnerships with Scope o30,000 new Facebook fans due to high levels of content sharing among media, influencers and consumers

Strategy
We developed a fully integrated scheme involving an online commercial, Facebook and Twitter content, a real product page and a half-page ad in USA Today. We identified several key strategies to drive the viralability of this campaign. •FULLY INTEGRATED COMPONENTS: Like any good product launch, ours tapped multiple channels for maximum impact•ONE OF THE BIGGEST PRODUCT LAUNCH HOAXES EVER: We staged a comprehensive launch plan to drive maximum engagement and conversation•INFLUENCER ENGAGEMENT: We took the story to the top influencers in social media to drive buzz beyond our social media channels

Client Brief Or Objective
The campaign goals were 1) increase fan engagement and acquisition and 2) to generate brand awareness. Research was conducted to understand existing best practices around successful April Fool’s executions and social engagement programs. •Evaluated influencers who had previously discussed bacon-flavored products to understand previous conversations on the topic. The results yielded insights that consumers and media love bacon and are more likely to share related content.•Gathered insights for best practices for high fan engagement. The insights offered guidance in content development, helping to craft the ideal recipe for consumer engagement: originality, humor, and easy shareability.

Execution
The strategic approach for the social engagement program was built on timing, creativity and execution. •LAUNCHoOn March 28th, the story ignited fan engagement on Facebook, YouTube & Twitter oWithin first 72 hours, more than 50% of targeted traditional outlets 'shared' information via their own social media.oNew creative ideas continued to fuel engagement •A 'Mr. Scope Bacon' character was invented and sent to Times Square to further tease launch.•REVEAL.oOn April 1st, the reveal of the joke was shared via Scope’s social media channels•POST-REVEAL.oThe conversation continued afterwards, with fans sharing their opinion– from begging for the product to be produced to commending Scope on their creativity.

Relevancy
April 1st was the ideal timing to leverage Scope’s new brand persona, setting the stage for a vibrant discussion around social courage. The fun and irrelevant nature of the holiday offered Scope a key opportunity to engage with their fans and media via social media. While other brands have leveraged April Fool’s in the past, Scope’s plan was different: 1) It was powered by a highly original content and 2) the brand mustered the full resources of the integrated team (advertising, search, digital) to support the PR idea and reinforce the validity of the product launch.