Case Study: Experiential event strategy creates buzz around Dove Damage Therapy

This case study outlines the strategy behind an experiential event delivered to support the four-day exclusive launch of the Dove Damage Therapy Haircare range.

Executive SummarySavvy Marketing developed an experiential campaign to support the four-day exclusive launch of the Dove Damage Therapy Haircare range within ASDA stores for client Unilever in September 2010. This included the promotion of a full range of superior damage and hair care solutions across shampoos, conditioners and hair treatments especially developed for damage-free hair. Raising awareness of the ranges brand new look, fragrance and formula was key.In store promotional activity to support the launch cross-range included a road show, active sell in 90 key ASDA stores, POS at fixture and an ASDA magazine awareness piece distributed at point of purchase. In addition, shoppers were treated to the price message of the full range on roll back for £1.Purpose of the event and objectivesThe key purpose of the event was to not only drive sales but also to successfully educate shoppers on hair damage, hair treatment and the preventative protection provided by the new Damage Therapy Range. Savvy identified their target audience as:ASDA Female Shopper

• She’s in her late 20s to early 40s, with the early to mid 30s at the core target market
• She is starting to settle down, working full or part time, married or in a relationship, probably with children
• She is confident, sociable and enjoys being with friends, family and meeting new people
• She experiences damage symptoms, however is unaware of the difference damage care would make to her hair

The brief included commercial targets of:

• Demonstrating ROI throughout the promotion despite a strong launch price deal – full range on rollback for £1
• Strength of campaign in order to negotiate strong trading positioning for Unilever hair care within ASDA – a full Gondola End (G.E.) in the Health and Beauty aisle

SolutionExperiential marketing was key to the success of this activity. In a retail first, Dove’s new Advanced Diagnostic Tool was brought onto the shop floor to diagnose hair damage in ASDA shoppers. The tool which can identify hair damage within seconds was used by sampling staff to test shopper’s hair and identify the level of damage.This not only helped ASDA shoppers identify which Dove product would best suit their hair type but also helped active sell the product by making Dove’s ‘damage care and repair’ promise relevant. When considering, 60% of consumers resist the idea that their hair is damaged, this device actively shows them that it is – and from here sampling staff can more easily encourage them to trial the NPD. This also supported the ATL message, distributed to ASDA shoppers in the form of ASDA magazine “Whatever you do for my beautiful hair, Dove takes care of the damage” – promoted with a picture of a woman ironing her hair.Strategy for achieving the above objectives:

• Active sell in 90 key ASDA stores for Health and Beauty (H&B). Active sell run by profiled H&B colleagues wearing Dove tunics, creating the impression of professionalism and with that product knowledge. Colleagues encourage trial and pushed price discounting as an incentive
• Roadshow offering hair testing using new Dove Advanced Diagnostic Technology (as detailed above). Took place over eight days in ASDA supercentre stores. 90% of shoppers tested expressed interest in a trial of the NPD

• 11,520 informational z-cards were distributed to shoppers educating them on the product benefits of the new range, hair damage reduction techniques and how to identify which product suited their hair-type
• POS presence in all 350 ASDA stores – FSDU and negotiated price branded Gondola End

ASDA Magazine October edition

• Brand advertising in ASDA magazine raising awareness of the NPD (circa. estimated at 2 million units)
• Web banners – were live on ASDA.com for 5 weeks

This case study won the award for best experiential event at the UK Event Awards