How Pantene Increased Awareness with Selena Gomez as Ambassador

Summary

To increase awareness of Pantene’s “Strong is Beautiful” campaign, Summit Media made use of Cosmopolitan magazine’s multiple channels and the hype surrounding Selena Gomez’ Manila concert. The campaign’s native article alone reached more than 2.6 million people on social media.

Publisher/Agency: Summit Media/Cosmopolitan
Campaign: Strong is Beautiful
Brand: Pantene (Procter & Gamble Philippines)
Country: The Philippines

Mission

To create a content program that would increase awareness of Pantene’s “Strong is Beautiful” campaign, and to encourage product trial for its Hair Fall line.

Cosmopolitan, whose brand advocacy is women’s empowerment, leveraged Pantene ambassador Selena Gomez

KPIs

Native article: page views and average time on page

Facebook: reach, impressions, and engagement

On-ground executions: number of attendees

Target audience

Fun, fearless millennials. The young, confident, stylish and ambitious Cosmo Girl.

The following month, they mounted an event called Cosmo Beauty Block, which featured hair and beauty experts to celebrate strong women with stronger hair.

Strategic approach

Cosmopolitan, whose brand advocacy is women’s empowerment, leveraged Pantene ambassador Selena Gomez, who had a concert in Manila on July 31, 2016, as part of her Revival Tour.

Summit Media amplified Pantene's campaign by utilising Cosmo's multiple channels. They leveraged the hype surrounding Selena Gomez’ Manila concert by bundling free tickets in the July 2016 issue, producing a series of native ads and print advertorials, and putting Selena on the cover of the August 2016 issue.

Summit Media also set up a glam booth and arranged a Facebook Live coverage on the night of the concert.

The following month, they mounted an event called Cosmo Beauty Block, which featured hair and beauty experts to celebrate strong women with stronger hair.

By listening to audience data, Summit Media observed that Cosmo Girls feel more beautiful when they feel strong and fearless.

Creative Idea

By listening to audience data, Summit Media observed that Cosmo Girls feel more beautiful when they feel strong and fearless. Hence, they came up with this insight: A Cosmo Girl is a Pantene woman.

RELATED: How the Ford Ranger Was Promoted by Defining Toughness in Native Articles

Summit Media cemented the identity of a Pantene woman by empowering Cosmo Girls to celebrate their stronger self through the #StrongIsBeautiful hashtag. They thought there is no better way to do that than to champion a strong woman who resonates with them: Pantene ambassador and certified Cosmo Girl Selena Gomez.

Platforms

Online: Cosmo.ph and Cosmopolitan Philippines Facebook page

Print: Cosmopolitan Philippines magazine

On ground: Cosmo Beauty Block event and the glam booth during Selena Gomez's concert

Content distribution and promotion efforts

Native article

Summit Media made the bond between Pantene and Cosmo stronger by publishing a native article: "8 Times Selena Gomez Gave Us Serious #HairGoals".

RELATED: Increasing Brand Trust with Influence - and Finding the Right Influencer

Events and social media

On the night of the Manila concert in July 2016, they set up a booth where Cosmo Girls glammed up, took fab photos, and brought home advanced copies of the August issue. The Cosmo Girls also got a 90-minute preview of the concert happenings through a Facebook live coverage moderated by the Cosmo editors.

Next, a beauty event should help Cosmo Girls achieve the crowning glory they deserve. Called the Cosmo Beauty Block, the event featured beauty editors, makeup mavens, and hair experts who came together to celebrate strong women with stronger hair. Summit Media did a Facebook live coverage at the event for Pantene-sponsored segments.

RELATED: How Garnier Boosted Young Girls' Self-Confidence and Hereby Their Brand

Print

Summit Media put five "golden tickets" a la Willy Wonka inside Cosmo’s July 2016 issue for lucky Cosmo Girls to find. Selena Gomez appeared on the cover of the August 2016 issue, also known as the beauty issue. It also had specially extended covers sponsored by Pantene. A hair guide was included in the 2016 beauty issue to help readers achieve Selena's hair looks.

Size of team involved

Native Editor, Art Director, Managing Editor, Cosmopolitan publisher, Cosmo.ph editors, ExperienceLab, Summit Media (events), Social Media Marketing Manager.

The supporting native article reached more than 2.6 million people on social media.

Results

• The campaign generated more than two million in total reach, impressions, and engagement on the Cosmo Philippines Facebook page on the night of the concert alone. Furthermore, the supporting native article reached more than 2.6 million people on social media.
• Over a thousand Cosmo Girls sampled the product in the Cosmo Beauty Block event, but Summit Media extended the experience to those who tuned in to the live broadcast on Facebook.
• The video garnered more than a million in total reach, impressions, and engagement. That's not counting all the photos and videos shared at the Pantene beauty booth.

This case study is part of a collection of award-winning native advertising examples studies from Native Advertising Awards presented by The Native Advertising Institute.

We aim to acknowledge and reward great native advertising and promote inspiring, effective and creative work that helps organizations worldwide achieve their goals and tell great brand stories in a non-disruptive way.

DOWNLOAD: Native Advertising Trends 2017 - The News Media