Projects
NIVEA
The Context
NIVEA were launching a new face care product for oily skin in South Africa, which was the first ever aimed at the lower income majority market. At the time, NIVEA was perceived by this market as primarily a (premium) body lotion brand.
The Challenge
The new face care product was still at the top end of what these cash-strapped consumers normally spent. And although they liked and trusted NIVEA body lotion because of its high quality, they believed that only cheaper new local brands understood oily African skin and were wary of spending money on “untested” products.
The Solution
Use the perceived high quality of NIVEA to our advantage. Even though it was more expensive, we positioned it as better value because it lasted longer and was especially formulated for African skin by a premium brand they already trusted, making it more effective than other products.
DIRECT AXIS
The Context
Direct Axis is a financial lending institution that in its earlier years had a negative reputation for giving low-income customers high-interest loans and trapping them in debt. The company changed their business model to be strict with the granting of loans but the brand perception was still not fully rehabilitated.
The Challenge
The always-on retargeting campaign was vital for leads, but the hard-sell CTA reinforced negative perceptions. There were also multiple customer categories, varying from those seeking debt consolidation to those requiring student loans. How could we balance getting leads (short-term need) with creating a trustworthy and sophisticated brand (long-term need)?
The Solution
We did qualitative research and built category-specific content marketing journeys that helped customers along the path to financial wellness at every touchpoint, through videos, infographics, articles and tools, positioning Direct Axis as more than simply a loan provider. This also improved the quality of leads, as the leads coming in via the content marketing journey were twice as likely to qualify for a loan (i.e. to convert), versus those who came via a sales message ad.
VIRGIN ACTIVE
The Context
Virgin Active is a premium health club chain, but in their South African market there was demand for a “budget” product. The company created Virgin Active RED gyms, which offered quality equipment and facilities without health club features such as pools and saunas.
The Challenge
Although the Virgin Active RED gyms had opened with strong launch strategy, it had a very broad target market and minimal online marketing support. The company was also concerned about keeping the premium image of the Virgin Active brand intact.
The Solution
The Virgin Active RED customers were primarily younger and urban but very aspirational. Instead of trying to target everyone who could not afford or did not want the full health club experience, we positioned the RED gyms as more fun, relaxed and “real”, making them the less showy cousin of the main health clubs.