Cannes Lions

Secret Detective

WEBER SHANDWICK, New York / GLAXO SMITH-KLINE / 2018

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Overview

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Credits

OVERVIEW

Description

Athlete’s Foot is a dirty little secret that sufferers in China go through great lengths to hide. It’s a taboo topic. No one will talk about it. So what does a brand do? Simple. We won’t talk about it either. Not about athlete’s foot nor the solution GSK offers. Not. One. Word.

A dirty little secret is always well-hidden. Uncovering it requires a bit of investigative work. That’s the inspiration behind “Secret Detective”, a unique activity concocted to help Chinese consumers tap into their inner Sherlock Holmes. With “Secret Detective” we lured people into solving a mystery, leading them to a discovery about athlete’s foot and its solution. The approach was so unexpected of a pharmaceutical brand, especially for an anti-fungal treatment of all things. But given the shame and silence that pervades the issue, it made sense.

Execution

We constructed a mock crime scene in a popular Shanghai shopping mall. Passers-by and journalists were invited to investigate clues to crack a secret message hidden in a crossword puzzle. Each clue designed to help reveal a dirty little secret in a way only someone with Athletes’ Foot (and those close to them) would understand. Six clues were prepared for people to discover and learn from. As consumers completed the crossword puzzle, the secret message was revealed: “Lamisil Treats Athlete’s Foot”. The message was simple, direct, and – as a conclusion to the mystery – a gratifying “a-ha” moment for consumers.

The fun was captured on video, which was posted on Chinese social media. Suddenly, Athlete’s Foot stopped being a taboo subject and became a hot topic. KOLs in sports, health and other professional fields were talking about the condition with their networks on the heels of the video.

Outcome

Beyond driving important conversation about a previously-taboo topic, the campaign was a commercial success, driving a 37% sales increase year-over-year.

The Secret Detective event attracted 300+ participants, the recap video was viewed 20M+ times on Chinese social networks. Within 14 days, GSK added 10,000 new followers on Weibo and WeChat. Influencers post on Weibo were read over 16M times, generating 20,000 comments.

The campaign generated 100M social media impressions.

Media commented that never before has a taboo subject been discussed in such a refreshing way.

Xie Wenyun, Xinmin Evening News: “I have never join a brand event like this. A brilliant idea to connect patient’s dirty little secret and Athlete's Foot.”

Shang Tao, 39 Health: “The concept is creative and fresh. It’s an engaging way to deliver messages.”

Now it’s no secret that Lamisil is the solution to Athlete’s Foot, even in a market where people don’t talk about it.

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