WTF goes nude!

The teaser 'WTF' viral campaign was the starting point of the launch campaign of Maybelline's BB Cream and will be followed by three more phases

Neha Saraiya | Delhi | January 18, 2011

Late week, BestMediaInfo.com wrote about the viral phenomenon of WTF. And now, taking the teaser campaign forward, the brand behind the high-decibel viral rage has been revealed! The WTF revolution marks the launch of Maybelline's latest offering, the BB Cream, which is an all-in-one cosmetic beauty and skincare product. Created and executed by digital agency FoxyMoron, the teaser with the acronym of WTF -- 'Why do Women take Forever' -- was the first leg of the campaign.

Talking about the idea behind the unconventional launch, Harshil Karia, Founder & Online Strategist, FoxyMoron, said, “The mandate was that we can't do the typical normal advertisement that would include banners on websites. Since it's a cosmetic brand, we wanted to create some excitement and noise at the same time.”

Karia said that before rolling out the campaign, the agency had conducted a research with 50 women. They were asked just one question: 'One thing that irritates men'. In reply, the girls pointed out that men hate to wait while women get ready.

While the first stretch of the campaign urges men to share their take, the second part of the campaign sees women answering back to men by going 'nude'. The reply to 'WTF' will be 'nude' by the fairer sex.

Under this leg, the agency plans to create series of physical and online badges with edgy lines. Like 'WTF you are screwed because I am nude' or 'You said WTF, I am going nude'.  These quirky one-liners will be promoted through posters, banners and badges. The physical version of the badges will be sent across to key Maybelline women fans comprising a community of over 500,0000 women on Facebook. These badges would be delivered at their offices and homes. The digital versions will be available online along with photo jackets with slogans.

This will be soon followed by the third leg of the campaign in the coming week that will focus on consumer education. Under this stretch the brand aims to reveal to consumers about the product and its usage. Thus, on YouTube videos of Prominent Make Up Artist & Chief Creative Makeup Artist of Maybelline, Ambika Pillai, will be uploaded. The videos will provide consumers tips on how to get a nude look with the help of the product.

Talking about using digital medium as the launch pad for the product, Manashi Guha, Marketing Manager, Maybelline, said, “We wanted to launch the revolutionary BB cream in a novel way that the Maybelline girl would find new, better and different. So, we have taken a fresh content approach. Also, Maybelline has more than half a million highly active fans on Facebook. And our target audience in the age group of 18-25 years has Facebook and Twitter on their speed dial. It was an irresistible opportunity to reach them directly.”

The campaign will draw its final curtains on the digital platform with eight flash mobs. Karia added, “We chose eight flash mobs as the cream has got eight benefits. In the end, the message from girls will spin to 'Now that we have turned nude, we will never be late'. So what started as generating excitement will lead to education and finally a strong message.”

The company has allocated a budget of Rs 30-35 lakh for the entire launch plan and will use a mix of print, digital, outdoor and activation in coming weeks.

Neha@BestMediaInfo.com

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