As the first step in building long term consumer engagement, Philips Male Grooming has launched a through the line campaign to inspire and enable men to ‘Express Yourself Every Day’. The campaign by DDB London, Tribal, One Voice, Carat, IRIS and Philips aims to help male consumers (25+ years old) realize that self-expression can be something they do every day—from the way they walk, to the job they do, to the way they shave and groom. Real guys that change mundane aspects of their daily routine into an opportunity for self-expression are at the heart of the emotionally-led campaign, which is set to break the conventions of the traditionally conservative and predictable male grooming category that has sold men on the clean shaven look for the past 30 years.
From extensive global consumer research, Philips has found that today’s men have never been more free to express themselves, and yet they feel they are not making the most of it in their everyday life. They are also complacent with the same category communication selling them on one look when they really want to embrace the different sides of themselves and experiment with different looks. Philips wants to be the first brand to understand and support what is truly important in male grooming: opening men’s eyes for greater opportunity of expression in men’s everyday lives, especially their grooming routine.
Men will first be exposed to the campaign with an inspiring 30 second TV commercial showcasing guys and things from around the world that challenge notions of the everyday and also promote opportunities for self-expression. The TV commercial is supported by a digital-engagement program featuring more examples of everyday self-expression outside of the male grooming category, including a series of films and articles from VICE Media Group on ‘The Everyday Expressives’. To ensure men can achieve the look(s) they want and be more expressive in their grooming routine, the platform will also feature grooming advice and styling tips from best-selling author and grooming guru, Dr Allan Peterkin, as well as the latest news in grooming expression from around the world and the Philips male grooming portfolio.
Content from the TV commercial and digital-engagement program will be further amplified through PR activities, and local experiential stunts will disrupt everyday routines like the commute to/from work to enable men to be more self-expressive during these times. To ensure the campaign also translates at a more functional level, Philips took to the streets to find real, authentic and everyday guys to feature on product packaging, print advertising and instore communications. The result is a seamless journey across all consumer touchpoints.
“We’ve developed a global communications platform for the Philips electrical male grooming products to help drive category leadership,” said Toby Pschorr, Global Client Managing Director for Philips at DDB. “The platform insight is based on self-expression, a global trend amongst younger male consumers and features real characters instead of actors, who have found creative ways to inject a smile and the unexpected into our everyday environment.”
The ‘Express Yourself Every Day’ campaign launches in five markets in Q4 2011 with more markets launching in Q1 2012.