Isabella, Victoria, Gaella
At the end of last year Axe launched an additional line called: Axe Excite. It was launched in many countries in the world, with a commercial which has the premise that Axe Excite will make sure that the most divine creatures in the world will fall for you.
A well executed commercial, however Unilever in the Netherlands and Belgium saw more possibilities for the concept. So they launched a digital campaign called: ‘Heaven On Earth’. The story of the digital campaign is almost the same as the TVC shows, Angels descent to earth to find the perfect man. This is exactly what happens: Three angels descent from heaven, their mission: find the perfect man. The three angels were placed in a Villa somewhere in the Netherlands (Drunen), 7 video streams were made available to the public. So the result was a Big Brother like situation and off course the streams needed to be unlocked. There were three ways to do this: 2 video streams were unlocked by paid media (buy 2 different Excite products), use social media and stay on the website. The challenge for the visitors was to engage contact with the angels via social media (Facebook, Twitter, Hyves and Netlog), but you could also win a ‘Skype-Date’ with one of the angels. However for those who had success contacting the angels and being liked there was a next challenge: the Petrus test. This was a test where they we’re interviewed in real life, but this was also the last step to get in the big final. The big price of the campaign for the contenders was to opportunity to win: The Ultimate Sleepover.
The Dutch Trailer shows the above story in short:
Why it worked
Beyond the obvious, there are several other reasons why this campaign was a big hit. The use of social media within the big brother concept. Something which to my knowledge was not tried before. The campaign lasted two weeks (from 10/2 till 24/2) and thus included Valentines Day which created an extra contact moment and so contestants did, sending cards and gifts. The use of youtube was also a smart one. They partnered up with YouTube to have a header for Dutch and Belgian visitors so those unaware with the campaign were acquainted. Finally the dedicated channel was used to post recaps of all the days.
Another nice addition to the concept was the sponsoring done by some A-brands such as Kellogs and Samsung. Samsung’s sponsoring included the Galaxy S Tablet, which generated a lot of digital air-time during the campaign. The conclude the obvious reason off course is that this concept is perfect for the target group.
What could have been done better
The Belgians added another dimension to the digital/new media concept. They added a traditional media aspect, by having a Belgian Music Station visiting the villa and having several items about Heaven on Earth within the live program. However this was not the case in the Netherlands. When the Ultimate Sleepover was won, the credits almost immediately began rolling. This off course is a bit strange if you have a concept based on Big Brother and have had 500.000 viewers. Such a sudden stop is perhaps the only part which wasn’t executed well.
The Results (which are known)
- 500.000 viewers in 2 weeks
- 86 letters (incl. gifts) were received on Valentines Day
- Added to the FWA (Favorite Web Awards) Public Shortlist (halfway through the campaign)
- Other results have not been made public
Conclusion
This was an amazing concept which was executed very well. It was right for the target group and the use of new media only made it stronger. In Belgium the support of traditional media must have helped as well. This campaign probably increased the already large customer base Axe has. New media concepts like this one will become more frequent the coming months/years. Axe has already took the first step. The success of this campaign has already inspired the British Axe (Lynx).
The UK and Ireland is next…
The Concept
Angels are falling from the skies – and it’s all down to the irresistible scent of new Lynx Excite. But one angel remains, trapped alone in heaven – archangel Kelly.
Could you be the one that Kelly Brook falls for?
We will see how the digital campaign in the UK and Ireland will play out.
Bassonian 
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