Integrated Marketing Campaign

Whisper is a leading sanitary pad brand in India. But in 2012, its key competitor through a new approach reframed the category language and drove conversations that made its brand more newsworthy and relevant to the young urban woman. Whisper felt the heat of this with the slowing sales on Whisper Ultra.

 

We needed to regain sales and relevance by re-asserting a new “contemporary conversation” about periods with young urban women, in a new, socially-interesting, fame generating way.

 

Analysis pointed us to deep rooted period taboos still alive in the 21st century. Taboos that fed a culture of shame that lead to young women growing up with a disgraceful sense of self. Taboos like not going to the temple during their periods, entering the kitchen, and even touching pickles, for fear they would rot with their touch. 

 

‘Touch the Pickle’ was a brave social movement by Whisper that boldly took on the culture of shame propagated through archaic periods taboos. Through an integrated approach, Whisper inspired young women to speak up and challenge these period taboos that hold them back.

 

In doing so, Whisper created a national conversation that got over 2.9 million women to participate and generated over millions in free-media and publicity. With this it also grew key brand relevance parameters and speed up sales.

No one today can deny the importance of the US$ 155.5 billion Chinese outbound travel market (China Tourism Academy). Whether one is on Hong Kong’s famed Tsim Sha Shui shopping district or at the Galleries Lafayette in Paris, it is impossible not to notice the throngs of Chinese tourists buying up the latest Prada handbags or having their selfies taken in front of city landmarks – often to the amusement of locals and fellow tourists alike. 

 

And, when this multitude heads to the payment counter, they typically use their China UnionPay card - the Chinese government-owned payment system that is now rivalling global payment brands like Visa.     

 

This is a story about how Visa’s latest campaign got Chinese travellers to re-consider using Visa by challenging the world’s stereotype of Chinese tourists; and portraying an image that is more true to the global-savvy and sophistication of the new/younger generation who are driving the nation forward.

 

The “Visa Get Lost Challenge” called on people to travel in a new way: to go beyond the crowded confines of cliché tourism and retail hotspots, and explore the less beaten path of more culturally-authentic experiences hidden within a city -- with nothing but the comforting reassurance of having a card in their pockets that is truly ‘accepted anywhere they want to be.’

 

This new take on the Chinese traveller captured the aspirations of the new Chinese generation. It generated 9 million views in just 2 week; and propelled Visa to grow 85% faster than total outbound tourism spending. More importantly, it boosted Visa’s brand scores by 23% on a key image attribute China’s young travellers wanted to be more associated with on a personal level – “is globally accepted.”