Using a combination of authentic influencer content and robust data, Simple was able to develop a multi-targeted campaign that helped its products establish a foothold among young Vietnamese consumers.
Objective
Unilever set out to reinforce the superiority of its Simple brand cleansers among young, digitally savvy Vietnamese consumers with sensitive skin with a hyper-targeted campaign.
Context
The Simple brand, originating in the U.K. in 1960, revolutionized skincare by introducing the first fragrance-free and color-free cleansing product. The entire product range boasts hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic, and dermatologist-tested formulas, making them a trusted choice for sensitive skin. As a result, Simple became the leading cleanser brand in the U.K.
When Simple officially launched in the Vietnam market in June 2021, it had already gained significant popularity through word-of-mouth, proving advantageous for building awareness. However, this also led to challenges, as counterfeit products with a lower price point entered the market and put the brand's reputation at risk.
What's more, Simple Vietnam's performance didn't meet expectations one year after its launch. Consequently, the brand needed to take bold action to achieve desired sales results. The brief set clear objectives:
With these goals in mind, the brand aimed to elevate its presence and regain momentum in the Vietnam market.
Target Audience
Designed for high-end channels like e-commerce and premium retail store, Simple is a mass brand with an affordable price range. The brand proposition and communication are designed to engage and resonate with a younger audience.
The brand's end user is portrayed as a lively and youthful person with delicate skin, a digital-savvy lifestyle, and a sustainable mindset. They do not hesitate to spend time researching the brand's effectiveness, comparing it with similar brands. These traits make them knowledgeable consumers and enable them to continue sharing their experiences using the product with other peers.
Creative and Media Strategy
Based on the audience's distinct traits, Simple's communication strategy prioritized precision, highlighting product benefits and substantiating claims for a well-informed audience. Emphasizing the digital-first environment in which they primarily reside, Simple built its creative and media strategy on two key pillars:
In a digital world, the path to purchase is no longer linear. Because the path is so fractured, Simple started with an effort to gain attention and drive demand for its products. It did so by putting massive effort into influencer content, amplifying it on relevant platforms through key datasets. Each audience segment was assigned a specific strategy:
In all these ad groups, Simple added instructions about how to distinguish between authentic Simple cleanser and fake products. These instructions were accompanied with the reinforcing message, "Always purchase at authentic stores!"
These ads leveraged Unilever's first-party data, lookalike audiences, and data partnership with retailers, and were served programmatically.
Simple also used a real-time tracker of search trends, promoting seasonal SKUs to capture demand on the rise. Whenever a user searched for a relevant keyword, they would see the ads of the most trending SKU, combined with attractive deals. With users that searched for the specific Simple cleanser keyword, they would see ads highlighting authentic stores.
Following the launch of this campaign, Simple immediately started to see impressive results. Search demand for Simple cleanser increased on Google by 205 percent and keyword search volume for Simple cleanser grew by 216 percent and 178 percent, respectively, on the two biggest e-commerce platforms in Vietnam — Shopee and Lazada.
Simple has become the No. 1 cleanser brand across e-commerce platforms and became the first Unilever brand to make its way to the top five Skincare Brands leaderboard on Shopee.
