Olay rejuvenates brand via aggressive digital transformation

Olay, the 66-year old skincare brand known for its popularity among more sophisticated users, is undertaking a rejuvenation plan to stay relevant in the digital age.In its latest effort to place digital at the forefront of its marketing mix, the P&G brand has rolled out an social media initiative "Be Spendthrift No More" (不再敗家宣言) to back its anti-aging UV moisturizer Olay Total Effects.Developed in collaboration with Lauyeah Production and Strategic Communications Consultants, the campaign kicks off with an experiment where eight females are invited to participate in a product testing, and are then asked to guess the price of the item without knowing the brand.While all participants think it worth at least HK$3,000 the brand promoter unveils the Olay Total Effects‬ bottle, which priced at HK$200, and amazes the guests of how much more money they spent on expensive skincare products than they're worth.https://vimeo.com/146726877"We find that experimental video is the most engaging content on social media. We try to hook consumers with dramatic content related to consumers' interests instead of pitching products," Wen Kuo, brand director of Olay Hong Kong and Taiwan, told Marketing."When it comes to skincare products, people are likely to be persuaded by lavish packaging and sales skills. Through the campaign we hope to send a message that expensive does not always equal effective."The video is followed by a "fill in the blanks" Facebook post to call for online users to make an manifesto on how to spend money wisely; the initiative is joined by a group of beauty bloggers.[gallery link="file" ids="118493,118494,118495,118496,118497"]To integrate online to offline, the campaign runs in tandem with an outdoor event at Causeway Bay where consumers can touch and feel the brand's products and make purchase directly.The initiative has achieved a total reach of about 740,000 in three weeks.The next wave of the campaign will see a digital engagement surrounding one of Eason Chan's pop song, which is set to unveil in the next few weeks.The user engagement level of the "Be Spendthrift No More" project represents a step forward of its previous "Olay My Choice‎" (男神女神‧你揀我揀你) branding campaign from two months ago, which harnessed the power of celebrity on social media to promote its Regenerist line Olay's Super Cream.https://vimeo.com/146734901This video has garnered 1,308,079 total reach in which 881,403 are organic and 426,676 are paid.While reach doesn't always mean more sales, during the campaign period the Olay's Super Cream line marked a double-digit growth year-on-year.