Campaign: Radox Be Selfish
Client: Radox Sara Lee
PR team: Slice PR
Timescale: August-November 2009
Budget: £150,000
In 2009 Radox had lost its point of difference. Its strong heritage and latent consumer affection was no match for rivals and their near universal promotional activity. Women with young children were identified as the key regular buyers. Research found that the most precious commodity to these women was time to themselves, something the Radox brand could facilitate.
Objectives
- To make Radox start to own the concept of 'selfishness'
- To make 'selfishness' positive
- To drive sales of Radox.
Strategy and plan
The PR team used research to come up with the idea of Vesuvius Syndrome - what happens if women do not take time for themselves. Slice used psychologist Jenni Trent Hughes to talk about the findings. Novelist Kathy Lette was commissioned to produce a waterproof 'novella' about a woman who suffered from Vesuvius Syndrome. A website was set up allowing women to order the free book.
Measurement and evaluation
In total 90 pieces of coverage appeared in a wide variety of publications from newspapers to women's magazines. Coverage also appeared online and on broadcast outlets.
Results
In total 25,000 women ordered the book. Radox's share of the washing and bathing market has shot up four percentage points to 16 per cent in the year to August 2010.
This meant that the brand overtook Imperial Leather to gain the number one slot.
HINDSIGHT
Charlie Spencer, Senior account director, Slice PR
The Be Selfish PR campaign did not end with the Kathy Lette novella; it has grown in scale and reach over the past 12 months. Recognising that New Year was a particularly relevant time to deliver the Be Selfish message, we created the 'Selfish Sanctuary', a double decker bus kitted out to look like a luxury spa.
Via the Radox Facebook page we offered mums - and their friends - the opportunity to take a 'selfish hour' and be pampered on the bus. The campaign was fronted by Sara Cox - a celebrity with strong resonance among our target audience - who created video diaries, blogged and tweeted throughout the activity.
Over the past six months the Be Selfish PR campaign has moved increasingly online, reaching out to digital communities and parenting blogs. In October 2010 we partnered Radox with Mumsnet, the UK's largest online social network for parents, to launch a six-month sponsorship of its book club. We've already distributed more than 5,000 books, and are actively encouraging women all over the UK to take a 'selfish reading hour'.
The Be Selfish campaign has helped to cement Radox's position as the UK's number one washing and bathing brand. Data shows that before the launch of the campaign in August 2009, Radox's market share was at 12 per cent - just 12 months later this had reached 16 per cent.
Central to this success has been the PR activity, which has delivered credibility, relevance and reach to the 'Be Selfish' message.
