CASE STUDY: How Modess used politics in the Philippines

Background
Modess is the market leader in the sanitary napkin category in the Philippines, but its connection to the young category users has weakened due to intense competition. Modess is not a brand of choice or consideration for this young population.

Objective
The challenge was to appeal and build an emotional connection with teenagers. Teens are at a life stage (puberty), where the agenda is to make their own choices, have their opinions heard, and are enthusiastic to be a part of a purpose. Due to societal & parental restrictions, freedom of space and speech gives them a sense of pride in their peer group.

Strategy
Modess tapped into this insight and launched a platform for teenagers via ‘Your Voice, Your Move’. The campaign got the teens canvassing to the senators about the change they wanted. Their “charter of demands” got compiled in the form of opinions, in a book, that was given to Philippine senators. 

The May 2013 national election was the perfect opportunity for this to take shape. It enabled teens to participate in a nationwide event that historically would exclude them. 

Execution
The success of the campaign was dependent on response, the number of voices/messages received. The Key task was to gather the voices, messages, suggestions and opinions of female teens in the makeyourmove.com.ph microsite and publish them in a book that was delivered to the newly elected senators.   

Through a partnership with a strong multi-platform network, the campaign was maximised nationwide on TV, digital, On-ground and OOH. Teen celebrities were used in the TV 30-sec call-to-action plugs that aired nationwide to entice teens to go to the microsite. The company hired celebrities who were sent to different cities to promote the campaign.  It was also heavily promoted on Facebook and on a strong female teen platform – Candymag.com.  Once on the microsite, people were able to submit their message via text and video. At the end of the campaign, the book was launched through a PR event.

Results
Thousands of teen voices were collected in the microsite and on-ground activations which were later published in a book that was delivered to the newly elected senators. Modess was not only able to arrest declining market shares and even grew by 120 percentage points following the campaign. Modess tested positively on brand imagery and trust among teens.