Oral-B created a layered, hyper-targeted mobile-first campaign designed to drive awareness of its new electric toothbrush, leveraging Facebook and Instagram mobile ad placements.
Objective:
Oral-B, the industry leader in oral care innovation, introduced Australians to its iO brushing technology in March 2021 with the launch of its flagship iO Series 9 Electric Toothbrush. The Oral-B iO reimagines brushing via the innovative linear magnetic drive system powering the brush and uses new features like a Smart Pressure Sensor, OLED Display Screen with personalized brushing modes, and artificial intelligence (AI) tracking via the Oral-B app. The iO9 retails at $749 AUD RRP and was launched in key Australian electrical retailer, Shaver Shop. The business objective of launching Oral-B iO was to drive premiumization within the electric toothbrush category, driving consumers to trade up from an entry-tier or mid-tier electric brush to an Oral-B iO. To support the launch of iO in Australia and New Zealand, a highly-targeted PR and digital campaign was created to drive sales by targeting a narrow group of the highest potential consumers and guiding them digitally through the full consumer journey. The KPIs used to measure the success of the campaign were unit sales, as well as key media and PR metrics, including CTR, conversions, and PR and influencer coverage.
Target Audience:
The target audiences for Oral-B iO were based on three key iO "Tribes": the early tech adopter, the luxury health and beauty shopper, and the oral care obsessed consumer, which were targeted across a broad umbrella demographic of consumers 18 and over.
These "Tribes" were translated to media-buying audiences via interest- and contextual-based targeting and a combination of first-party and third-party retailer data signals. Prior to the launch, a pre-launch waitlist campaign was created with the goal of gaining 10,000 sign-ups to ensure best-in-class, first-party data for targeting. The waitlist campaign generated over 30,000 sign-ups, providing an even stronger base for seed audiences for the launch of the campaign.
Creative Strategy:
The creative and media strategy was guided by a "catch, connect, and close" model. The objective of the catch stage was to drive awareness in the brand's target audiences by piquing their interest in the Oral-B iO. This was achieved via two key pillars:
The objective of the connect phase was to drive product education in an engaging way. This phase was a critical step in the consumer journey for the Oral-B iO, and the multiple unique and innovative features of the brush. This was targeted to interest-based audiences as well to engaged Oral-B and Shaver Shop consumers using first- and third-party data.
The close phase had the objective of retargeting consumers who had shown interest in the Oral-B iO during the connect phase, with the assets focused on driving urgency and reminders of the key benefits of the toothbrush. During the campaign, weekly tests were conducted to optimize the campaign across various aspects of the "catch, connect, and close" model including: audience choices, reach, and frequency across the funnel tiers, algorithm optimization, and creative strategy.
Context:
Given the business priority of Oral-B iO and the innovative marketing approach taken, a test campaign was executed during Christmas in 2020 on the brand's most premium products in its portfolio. The objective of this campaign was:
Overall Campaign Execution:
Technology and data were key in the iO launch campaign, with 100 percent of its digital media budget being focused on assets and placements that drove mobile engagement. The digital channel selection used in each phase of the initiative enabled quick optimizations and test-and-learns throughout the duration of the campaign. The "catch" phase was served via YouTube and programmatic, with data-rich insights guiding decision on which asset to amplify, as well as audience choices to drive optimal reach at this early stage in the consumer journey. The connect phase was served via the mobile-led Instant Experience Facebook and Instagram placements, allowing insights to be gained to improve engagement during the campaign via:
The "close" phase was executed via Facebook and Instagram's multi-placement formats. The key focus was on retargeting consumers who had engaged with the catch and connect phases, as well as serving engaged Oral-B and Shaver Shop audiences.
Mobile Execution:
Oral-B created over 25 assets designed to drive maximum impact in a mobile-first environment. The connect phase, served via Instant Experiences, enabled consumers to educate themselves on the benefits of Oral-B iO at their own pace using a microsite-style execution within the Facebook and Instagram platforms, accessible only via mobile.
The interactivity of the experience ensured consumers were engaged throughout. As the experience was self-led, consumers could take the time to properly digest the educational content that explained the unique selling points of Oral-B iO. This strong performance and fundamental educational step of the campaign would not be possible without mobile.
Similarly, the "close" phase focused on serving assets tailored to a mobile experience. Across the suite of creatives, all assets were designed to be suitable across a range of mobile placements, including Instagram and Facebook stories, mobile newsfeed, and vertical video format. Different styles of creatives, from lifestyle, to influencer-led, to branded, were selected to look natural within the context of their placement, driving engagement.
