Scents of Confidence
Growing the deodorant category with new users
Brand
Unilever
Helping a tween get started with deodorant is … awkward, to say the least! How might parents find a product their tween can vibe with in a category where the only distinction is “for men” and “for women”? We broke the gender binary and helped parents pick a first deodorant that helps their tweens live confidently and authentically.
+ Gold REGGIE: Shopper Marketing, Retailer-Specific or Omnichannel Marketing
+ Bronze REGGIE: Age-Targeted Marketing
+ Bronze Effie: Multi-Brand Shopper Solution
+ Bronze Effie: Omni-Channel Shopper Solution
Free Immediate Delivery
Parental guidance advised
Four out of five shoppers are perfectly satisfied with their deodorant.
That stinks if you’re Unilever and trying to grow your deodorant portfolio at Kroger.
To find new shoppers, we looked to the next generation of deo users—tweens. And to reach tweens, we needed to connect with their Puberty-Puzzled Parents.
Our idea was simple—yet revolutionary. Instead of marketing deodorants by gender, we helped parents navigate by their child’s personality and passion.
We armed them and their kids with a Scents of Confidence.
We started by hand selecting deodorants best suited to help them live confidently and authentically as creators, activists and movers.
A first-of-its-kind targeting strategy
combined Kroger and Unilever data to help us understand and reach our core audience.
We connected with Puberty-Puzzled Parents
at three key moments: summer, back to school and when shelves were reset.
Finally, we met parents and tweens in person
with a summer camp-inspired event full of self-confidence-building activities they could do together.
Scents of Confidence grew Unilever deodorant sales by double digits at Kroger, drove retention with repeat shoppers during the program and changed the way people shopped for deodorant.
REVIEW
Matt Gilkerson
Shopper Marketing Manager
Scents of Confidence was a program that reminds you why you fell in love with marketing in the first place. From the moment the strategy was locked, this program felt different, special, and important. Every marketer’s goal should not be to just sell products, but to get the right products in the right hands and help people fill a need. Our approach and campaign brought education, confidence, and connectivity between tweens and their guardians. I’m so proud of the work that was created and I hope more brands follow along to help break barriers along the shopping journey and make any brand choice a safe, comfortable experience.
Kristen Sims
Senior Project Manager
Seeing this campaign come to life was a delight! We all know how awkward puberty can be, so why not instill a bit of extra confidence in tweens by breaking the barriers of a gendered aisle and pick the deo that best suits their needs and personalities.
Rachel Duncker
Executive Producer
Photographing real tweens in a way that highlighted their self-assurance and hosting a confidence-building day camp activation was empowering in a sector and a demographic that’s historically been perceived as awkward or uncomfortable. This work flipped that perception on its head, and finding the right vendors, partners, and methods that would make the work feel authentic and powerful was essential.
