Cannes Lions
SAATCHI & SAATCHI ME, Dubai / NIVEA / 2024
Overview
Entries
Credits
Background
While Saudi Arabia is embracing modernization, it still struggles with persistent skin biases and colorism.
These deep-seated issues lead to perilous beauty practices.
Our research highlighted a stark reality: 90% of Saudi women are unhappy with their appearance, with 63% resorting to harmful skin-lightening treatments influenced by skewed self-esteem, beauty standards, social class, and employment prospects.
NIVEA aims to nurture an appreciation for every shade of beauty and promote its range of body lotions and skincare suited for all skin types.
The brand sought to manifest its commitment in innovative, impactful ways.
Recognizing an urgent need for a transformative campaign, the goal was set to upend and redefine entrenched beauty norms across the Kingdom.
Thus, 'Unboxing Skin' emerged—a campaign designed to demystify beauty standards and influence the dialogue on skin positivity and self-acceptance.
Idea
NIVEA aimed to deconstruct widespread skin biases by spreading a message of skin positivity throughout the Kingdom.
In a groundbreaking partnership with Amazon—the first of its kind in the country—we utilized a robust dataset and skin analysis to represent the rich spectrum of Saudi skin tones.
We transformed 530,000 Amazon boxes into agents of change, each featuring the prompt: 'MY SKIN IS MY_______,' inviting recipients to contemplate and celebrate their unique beauty.
For the first time, the iconic Amazon box became a symbol of collective beauty and a canvas for personal expression.
Each package delivered goods, and most importantly extended an invitation to engage in a meaningful, trending social dialogue under the hashtag #MySkinIsMy, challenging long-standing skin biases.
Strategy
The strategy included extensive data research to solve the most prevalent form of skin bias in Saudi Arabia. First, extensive data was collected to analyze and group skin color shades in order to describe the wide variety of skin tones.
The campaign targeted the whole population, as the majority of Saudi women, 63%, tried to whiten their skin to fit the norms and values prevalent in society.
The method used to spread the campaign message was tapping into Amazon's delivery network, using 530,000 Amazon delivery boxes.
The campaign transformed each Amazon parcel intended for the Saudi market into a skin positive word delivery parcel .
By encouraging recipients to complete the phrase "MY SKIN IS MY_______" on the boxes, the campaign invited personal reflection and opened a public conversation on skin diversity, leveraging social media to amplify its message and engage a broader audience.
Execution
The launch was viral by design. In collaboration with Amazon we distributed over 530,000 specially designed delivery boxes, each bearing the open-ended message "MY SKIN IS MY_______" to spark conversation and reflection on skin diversity and beauty standards.
This campaign spanned across Saudi Arabia, ensuring widespread impact.
We used Amazon's delivery system to ensure that the boxes were spread across all the regions of the Kingdom, turning a mundane parcel delivery into a powerful delivery of a meaningful message.
The scale was national, making every box a catalyst for change in perceptions of beauty and skin color inclusivity.
This initiative sparked conversations across social media with Saudi women engaged with the topic.
Outcome
By turning an everyday ordinary object into new media to take skin color taboos outside the box.
Every single Amazon delivery nationwide transformed to a skin unboxing experience. This then started a long-overdue conversation. Thousands of people shared their testimonies and expressed their opinions on outdated skin biases thus repackaging the country's beauty narrative
530,000 Boxes Delivered Across KSA
3.5Million+ People Reached in KSA
$1.8Million Earned Media Value
125% Visitor Increase on NIVEA Amazon Shop
60% Increase in “Skin Inclusivity” Conversations
22% Sales Increase in NIVEA Body Lotions
Similar Campaigns
12 items