Last year, P&G air freshener brand Febreze made its debut appearance as a Super Bowl advertiser. The brand used its spot to promote its OdorClear Technology, creating a 30-second Super Bowl commercial titled, “America’s Halftime Bathroom Break.”
“Our objective to get our teasers out early was to urge consumers to get Febreze Air and Small Spaces in their shopping carts before the big game,” says Mandy Ciccarella, communications manager for P&G, referring to the brand’s 2017 Super Bowl campaign.
“Video assets were available on YouTube in the days leading up to the game, and content on our social channels, including Facebook and Twitter, served as a reminder for consumers to put Febreze cans in carts as they prepared for Super Bowl Sunday.”
The creative driving Febreze’s 2017 Super Bowl ad was informed by consumer insights into how people prepare — or, better, fail to prepare — their bathrooms for Super Bowl parties.
Using consumer insights to build a Super Bowl campaign
“It was based on the nationwide phenomenon that occurs in the minutes between the halftime whistle and the halftime show when more toilets are flushed than any other time of year,” says Ciccarella.
In addition to how often toilets are flushed, Febreze’s consumer data revealed that 50 percent of people spent little to no time prepping their bathroom for their Super Bowl party, and 62 percent claimed they were most likely to forget bathroom necessities when purchasing party supplies.
“We felt the Halftime Bathroom Break bathroom usage insights provided a unique opportunity that Febreze was poised to own during Super Bowl LI,” says Ciccarella.
Febreze scores a touchdown the first time on the field
The brand was right. Ciccarella says Febreze’s 2017 Super Bowl campaign resulted in a 96 percent positive sentiment for the brand, more than 3.2 billion media impressions and 100 million earned digital impressions. Also, the brand’s #BathroomBreak hashtag ranked in the top 10 trending hashtags for Super Bowl LI.
In addition to the campaign’s digital success, Ciccarella says Super Bowl week resulted in Febreze’s highest week of sales ever for the brand up to that date.
“Our results spoke for themselves,” says Ciccarella. “We loved participating in last year’s Super Bowl and are excited for the challenge to bring our best creative forward again this year.”
Coming back for more
For its second-ever appearance as a Super Bowl brand, Febreze is bringing back the same light-hearted tone it used last year, but this time, it’s pushing its bathroom humor a little closer to the edge.
“This year, we took our inspiration from last year’s human truth that everyone goes, and took it a step further that on Super Bowl Sunday, with millions of people attending parties, there most likely will be someone going at your place — which leads us to ask the question: Why aren’t you prepping your bathroom for the Super Bowl the same way you’re prepping the rest of your house?”
The campaign includes the official 30-second ad that is scheduled to air during the second quarter of this year’s Super Bowl game, along with an extended 60-second cut — both developed by the Grey New York ad agency. The hashtag for the campaign is #BleepDontStink, a hashtag the brand will be using across its Facebook, Instagram and Twitter channels.
“We’re so excited to introduce the world to the only man whose bleep don’t stink — literally not figuratively,” says P&G vice president Martin Hettich, in a release announcing the campaign. “While Dave truly is the ultimate Super Bowl guest, the reality is that he’s not coming to any of our parties. So as Game Day hosts begin preparing their homes for their festivities, we encourage them to not forget about their bathrooms.”
Febreze Super Bowl LII Ad (Extended Cut)
As of this afternoon, iSpot.tv, an analytics platform that tracks online engagement for nationally aired television commercials, has Febreze ranked at No. 16 when comparing overall online performance among this year’s lineup of Super Bowl LII advertisers.
When looking specifically at pregame Super Bowl spots, Febreze’s official 30-second Super Bowl ad, “The Only Man Whose Bleep Don’t Stink,” is ranked 26, with more than 3,500 social actions and nearly 47,000 online views.
While Febreze doesn’t appear to be in the lead right now, we’re still days away from the Super Bowl. The real test comes this Sunday, when millions of people will go online during and after the game to replay their favorite ads. The brands that win will be the ones that elicit the biggest reactions — and if it goes Febreze’s way, get more than a few laughs.
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