Ariel, the premium laundry detergent brand by P&G in Asia, holds a very special place in my heart. I can proudly say that I’ve led the team that created many marketing campaigns and innovations for the brand that helped it grow from a 10% value share (2010) to become the No. 1 leading brand in the Philippines with a value share of 28%, (2018) overtaking Surf.

Ariel

Rise Women - Ariel’s first-ever purpose-led brand platform

Challenge: Ariel, a challenger brand in ASEAN, needed to establish a stronger presence in the digital space across the region. The task was to create a platform that will drive engagement and increase brand affinity among our consumers.

Idea: Ariel #RiseWomen was launched on International Women’s Day in Vietnam and the Philippines. The initiative celebrated the contribution of women in their respective countries and inspired other women to continue progressing in life. We partnered with Vietnam Women’s Union, Saigon Coop, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Women's Center (TESDA), and the Philippine Commission on Women, to empower women in the workforce through awards, recognition, and sponsorship grants to support training.

Results:

The platform helped strengthen Ariel’s equity and fueled growth. And the film was recognised and included in P&G’s Global Women’s Day message released on Facebook and showcased at the White House. The campaign continues to help empower more women every year in the Philippines and Vietnam.

Apart from the film, we also worked with P&G’s regional PR and communications team and other local in-market teams on an integrated activation, PR amplification and Consumer engagement program.

Ariel #JuanWash campaign

Challenge: Ariel had launched its most powerful liquid detergent in the Philippines. But, in a value-conscious market, where women believe that laundry is a labour of love, the product was becoming irrelevant and not selling.

Idea: As a brand that empowers women, we took an innovative approach to highlight the product's benefits by encouraging men to do the laundry with the new Ariel Power Gel. Juan is a commonly used placeholder name of the everyday Filipino man, and The #JuanWash campaign grew to become a much bigger, integrated push for gender equality.

Results:

The initiative not only created a buzz and increased market share and sales, but Marc Pritchard also spoke about the campaign during a seminar held by the Andy awards in New York.

Apart from the films, we also worked with P&G’s regional PR and communications team, media partners and other local in-market teams on an integrated activation, PR amplification and Consumer engagement program under P&G’s global #WeSeeQual initiative.

Ariel Finally @ P7.50 campaign

Challenge: Ariel was an expensive brand competing for shares in a low-income market. So, the brand changed its formulation to develop a new sachet at a game-changing price point of 7.50 pesos. We were given the task to announce this news in an engaging and clutter-breaking way to generate excitement and consumption.

Idea: In the ‘Finally Ariel’ campaign, we wanted to leverage the genuine emotion every Filipino woman will experience when she realizes she could finally afford Ariel’s clean. And in a music crazy country like the Philippines, what better way to express emotions than through a song.

Results:

• With a target of +1.5 share growth, the campaign achieved +1.4 in the first month itself.

• The phrase “Finally Ariel happened to me” became part of the Philippines pop culture and is used even today whenever someone achieves or gets something they’ve always wished for.

It was the biggest digital launch in the category. And we worked with P&G’s local media and communications team to further create program integrations across TV shows and in-store activations. The campaign spread like wildfire, with several consumers re-creating their own version of the film on Youtube and Dubsmash, including memes on Facebook. We were trending globally on Twitter for a while and the audience sang “Ariel Finally” instead of the original lyrics at a Katy Perry concert.

We followed it up with real consumer testimonials, which showed how Ariel’s affordable clean was making a difference in people’s lives.

My Story, My Ariel campaign

Challenge: Ariel, a well-established and respected brand in India, was facing a mid-life crisis. Surf Excel, Ariel's key competitor, had managed to generate substantial emotional equity since its launch; simultaneously, Ariel's shares and customer affinity were stagnating.

Idea: The ‘My Story, My Ariel' campaign created an emotional connection with India's housewives, which went beyond the laundry experience. It revolved around the insight that clothes have memories and stories attached to them, making people love and treasure them. And as Indians love to talk and tell stories, we partnered with Ariel’s media and PR teams to create a platform for consumers to re-live and narrate the stories of their favourite garments. And for Ariel, a perfect opportunity to weave their brand promise of ‘shine like new' into human conversations.

Results:

• In just 4 weeks, 210,000 stories had been shared, with one story being submitted every minute.

• For the first time in six months, market share showed an immediate spike of 0.3 points (i.e. 5% growth) in the very same month.

• Over 452MM digital impressions to date. This includes banner ads, FB content, and Twitter. Over 31.2 MM unique visitors in just 6 weeks.

• The campaign has resulted in high engagement and recall across touchpoints and got over $500,000 worth of free media coverage.