Grand Prix 2009 winner

Sensodyne: The Chill Test
AGENCYL Bellamyhayden
CLIENT: GlaxoSmithKline

OBJECTIVES
GlaxoSmithKline toothpaste brand Sensodyne was faced with a new competitor targeting consumers with sensitive teeth, Colgate Sensitive, that was growing twice as fast as Sensodyne. Colgate was spending four times as much on advertising and with 70% of Australians already using the Colgate brand, it made it an easy upgrade for consumers.

Bellamyhayden were tasked with the challenge of growing Sensodyne sales by 6.5% year-on-year, with a budget of $1.5 million. The brief was to win new users before Colgate did, by targeting consumers who were in denial about their sensitive teeth.

CAMPAIGN
The category convention is to advertise on TV, with 93% of category spend going to the medium. However, competi- tor Colgate enjoyed a 48% share of voice on TV compared to Sensodyne’s 5%. Instead, Bellamyhayden created The Chill Test, a brand experience that aimed to communicate to consumers at the “point of pain”.

Located in 20 Westfield shopping centres and running for 20 weeks, brand ambassadors dressed as tooth fairies handed out glasses of cold water to test consumers’ sensi- tive teeth.

Additional communication channels included online, flyers and detailed self assessment and education packs, a competition and collateral distributed through local dentists. A low-weight TV campaign accounted for one- third of the budget, 25% less than in 2008.

RESULTS
The Chill Test led to 225,000 interactions, 145% up on planned volumes, with 20% of interactions resulting in a consultation. Spontaneous brand awareness had grown by 71% over the first 15 weeks of the campaign, while there was a 15% rise in the attribute “is worth paying more for”.
The Chill Test delivered 20% better sales than for weeks in which the promotion did not run. Average monthly unit sales were up by 16% compared to before the campaign. Sensodyne grew its market share year-on-year by 12%, well ahead of the 6.5% target.

Judges’ comments
The Grand Prix panel was looking for and entry that showed the evolution of thinking. Sensodyne: The Chill Test was a simply great idea that delivered on consumer insight, had high involvement and comprehensive results.