The mosquito is the most lethal animal in the world, killing nearly a million people every year. In Brazil alone, over 1.45 million likely dengue fever cases were recorded in 2022.

Our brief was to create a campaign to raise awareness about the importance of using bug repellent and preventing mosquito bites, since it's a crucial step in ensuring protection against the diseases they transmit.

To increase brand and category day-to-day relevance because the brand is helping consumers better prepare to protect themselves and their families from the annoyance and danger of mosquito bites. Day-to-day relevance includes both when consumers should take extra precaution when to add protection and when to worry less about the category providing psychological relief in both cases.

The OFFCast Mosquito Forecast Tool is a game-changing innovation that provides consumers with a highly localized forecast, making the tool feel personalized and relevant to their daily lives. The tool is easy to use and leverages advanced data science to produce forecasts, giving users the ability to anticipate the threat of mosquito activity in their area. Consumers can also search other locations where they might be taking a vacation and plan ahead. By utilizing global weather data inputs and data from live mosquito traps to confirm local accuracy, the OFFCast Mosquito Forecast Tool is able to deliver highly relevant forecasts to consumers. Additionally, the tool allows for targeted and optimized messaging, making it a valuable asset for the OFF! brand in their efforts to protect families from the annoyance and danger of mosquito bites.

The OFF Cast draws on multiple databases to provide a precise snapshot of mosquito activity. First, the Google Earth Engine extracts billions of individual climate data points. Then a scientific algorithm, co-developed by the specialists at the SC Johnson Center for Insect Science and the Climate Engine, translates that meteorological data into relevant information about mosquitoes by cross-referencing weather conditions with data about mosquitoes’ life cycle and the ideal conditions for reproduction.

Finally, all that information is plugged into the model and transformed into a color-coded seven-day mosquito population forecast. The model accounts for the mosquito’s seven-day life cycle, from the moment it lays its eggs to the point at which it can bite a human being.

This allowed us to segment our communications and deliver a specific, assertive forecast for each region.

In July 2021, a joint team from SC Johnson and Google was challenged to usurp the five-decade category headwind of getting consumers to proactively protect themselves from mosquitoes. By September 2021, the project had secured full funding and in April 2022, the OFFCast Mosquito Forecast was launched in the US. Based on promising early results, the team was resourced to launch the same tool in the Brazilian market. In February 2023, the consumer tool was launched in Brazil with an integrated campaign led by PR and including influencers, social, and digital ads.

In parallel, in September 2022, the team was then challenged to develop an alternate tool to support malaria prevention. In March 2023, the RAID Mosquito Forecast was launched in Rwanda as an early pilot test in cooperation with the Rwanda Society for Family Health, not as a consumer tool, but as a tool to support malaria prevention.

OFFCast Mosquito Forecast is an innovative tool that has achieved its year 1 organization and business goals. The most prevalent outcomes were:

Relevance: The high engagement levels of the tool, surpassing both website and email engagement levels, manifest the highly relevant nature of this tool to the category.

Scalability: The tool has demonstrated its scalability by entering a second market in a new language within just five months, requiring minimal investment.

For consumers: The tool allows consumers to be better prepared to protect themselves and their families. The high levels of consumer engagement build confidence in the brand and category fit of the tool, and its ability to engage consumers in building category relevance and conversion.

For public health: The co-development of the philanthropic version with Rwanda's Society for Family Health suggests that the project will support malaria prevention, demonstrating positive long-term outcomes for public health.