2022 Bronze Sustainability

Agency: BBH

Client: Wild

Campaign Name: Dirty talk

Campaign Overview

Sustainable deodorant brand Wild had established brand awareness among eco-conscious early-adopters. The next challenge was to increase brand awareness among Millennials who care about the planet, but also care how they smell.

Strategy

The climate crisis was driving more eco-anxiety than action. The campaign insight showed people were doing their best, but find it exhausting. Guilt-tripping sustainability comms weren't helping.

The initiative needed to empathetically inspire people to make a positive change for the planet, one stick of Wild at a time. It's not about a small few doing everything perfectly, but lots of us doing a few things right.

If more people knew of Wild, which offers a 40% reduction in packaging compared to industry norms, it would be a step in the right direction.

Creativity

The idea was to create brand engagement by meeting the audience where they already were: on YouTube. These consumers spend a considerable amount of time watching online content but are notoriously quick to skip paid ads.

Wild took a risk, deciding it would go against the received wisdom of six-second cutdowns, and instead craft something worth engaging with for longer. In other words, to entertain its way to fame.

The team took Wild's mission to “shake up the throwaway culture in the bathroom”.

By drawing parallels between dating and sustainability, the brand aimed to speak to the cultural zeitgeist but also create a clear role for Wild as an easy win in the lives of overwhelmed, imperfect millennials.

Brand film ‘Dirty Talk’ broke all the rules. The three-minutes video shows an unexpected eco-kink dynamic between a woman and a polar bear; a refreshing counterpoint to serious comms usually associated with natural personal care.

Results

The YouTube campaign achieved unprecedented engagement: 1m42s average view duration (1m01s longer than channel average).

In addition, 94% liked the ad (compared to 75% for Wild's last brand film). Engagement on Facebook and social mentions also broke records for the brand, shifting perceptions +9.97% awareness and +3.25% consideration.

The unconventional approach also got people talking, delivering a +40% uplift in month-on-month mentions of Wild. People praised the writing, with its humour generating 68% positive sentiment in organic conversations on social media.

Higher awareness and consideration has real implications for the planet. A stick of Wild offers a 40% reduction in packaging compared to industry norms.

Results not to be sniffed at…

The Team

BBH - Helen Rhodes, Executive Creative Director - Joy Molan, Senior Strategist - Adam Newby, Associate Creative Director - Grace Chambers, Copywriter - Lucy Johnstone, Art Director - Lexy Fox, Senior Art Director

Contributors

Black Sheep Studios and Dylan Holmes Williams, Director