Sunsilk: AN AMBIENT ADVERTISING MODEL USING MOBILE

Credits & Description:

Advertiser: HINDUSTAN UNILEVER
Agency: MINDSHARE
Category: Best Use of Mobile Devices
Manager: Aakanksha Kumar (Mindshare)
Senior Director: Nilanjan (Mindshare)
Manager: Radhika Radia (Mindshare)
Senior Director: Prajakta Paranjape (Mindshare)
Director: Prerna Malhotra (Mindshare)

Execution
We created a Mobile Savvy Vending Machine for mass customization. TA interacted with the vending machine using her mobile phone to discover what conditioner variant was best for her hair type. Because smart phones are not common in India, we utilized SMS technology.The machine allowed three levels of interaction, provoked conversations about hair type and promoted a higher degree of involvement with the sample. The machine was placed in Mumbai college campuses hosting inter-college competitions, ensuring greater reach among the TA. Girls were invited to: 1)Select their hair type from the display (friends will tell her if it’s soft / dull / rough) to get a short code 2)SMS the short code to a phone number to get the sample code and a Sunsilk Expert’s advice for specified hair type within a minute3)Enter the sample code to get a conditioner tube from the machine immediately.

Strategy
Hair conditioners are a new category in India. Sunsilk, a known shampoo brand, was introducing an eight-variant conditioner. The target audience was college females (18 to 24) accustomed to multi-variant Sunsilk shampoos, so would expect the same from a conditioner.The marketing objective was to educate the TA about the use of hair conditioners and how the product was relevant to them, and to increase trials. Our unique insight was that the TA, having grown up using Google, prefers to discover brands and products on their own, in conjunction with their friends, and through social media. Because four variants of Sunsilk conditioner were to be distributed, education and interaction leading to customized trials was imperative.Our creative idea was to prompt the TA to discover the product through interaction and education. Using her mobile phone, she could create a customized sample, which would be delivered to her instantaneously.

Effectiveness
Sampling was done using a customized pull technique instead of pushing conditioner sachets. The method allowed one minute of active involvement in every sample and encouraged about five minutes of discussions with friends regarding their hair types.In six days, 1700 girls discovered customized conditioner samples, creating a database of as many phone numbers that can be used for personalized messages from Sunsilk Experts. After a successful pilot in 2012, the model is getting ready to be rolled out in department stores across key cities in India. Five additional machines will be implemented in May.