Last month, on June 17th, I was given the opportunity to represent InSites Consulting at my first STIMA congress. Located in an impressive venue with a warm and welcoming team, the congress was a perfect evening full of neuron stimulation and sharing of best segmentations practices, because that was the day’s topic. Ranging from marketing to senior citizens to women segmentation to NIVEA Men, all topics were very captivating and generated thoughtful discussions.
However, I would like to focus on the NIVEA Men Case Study in particular, as I feel it provided some relevant lessons on consumer and brand engagement. Bénédicte Joguet, Senior Brand Manager at NIVEA Men, showcased how NIVEA Men managed to approach the male target group by creating a unique brand and a new experience. The story (always) starts with research 😉 This revealed that Nivea lacked virility, which represented the main purchase barrier for men. Starting with a brand DNA study to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the brand, Nivea used segmentation to identify two target groups to focus on. The segment of the ‘Family Men’ was considered to be the primary target. The challenge was to position NIVEA Men as a sports and friendship brand and to activate men in Belgium to interact with the brand in a meaningful way.
And so the NIVEA Men Friends Cup was created. A whopping total of 275 teams joined this provincial football event with friendly but competitive football matches against each other. Champions of local tournaments were invited to participate in the ‘Big Finale’ in Ghent, which former Red Devils (Rode Duivels, the Belgian football national team) participated in as well! Finally, the victorious team was taken to Barcelona’s legendary Camp Nou stadium to experience a football game with internationally acclaimed football players we all know.
So what did this activation campaign actually change for NIVEA in terms of business impact? Soon after the campaign, the brand observed a significant increase in ‘top of mind’ awareness, brand likeability and brand purchase. Point made! Because of that success, other European countries will also use the Sports and Friendship insight for future campaigns.
If anything, this case proves that engaging consumers and activating them is one of the keys to success for brands. And thanks to great research(ers) and in-depth & ongoing collaboration, consumers can literally become part of the brand and spread the positive word about it.