Beyond Banners - Online Integration Example

Advertisers are constantly looking for ways to integrate within content and go further than the traditional placement. As well as being unique, the aim is to leverage the crediblity of the editorial and work today's ideal of entertaining rather than interupting an audience. For years this has caused a healthy debate between advertisers and editors as if done incorrectly, it can have negative impact of both the product and publisher.

Successful Online Content Integration
- Fairfax campaign proposal by Dan Maas to MediaEdgeCIA/Y&R for client Eveready/Schick

As online was a new medium for the client in this market, but where media consumptions habits were high against their target, we needed to produce a strong value proposition for Schick. Our online products and editorial innovation enabled our offer to create a platform which extended the Schick branding with interactive display placements, provided an original space to run their TVC campaign, and integrate within relevant and uniquely created content attractive to the 18-29 Female target audience. The Fairfax solution excited both the agency and client as it was completely original and put the brand in a market leading position far ahead of their competitors at the time.

The success of this campaign was due to all campaign elements working together from proposal to implementation. Due to our online capability and ability to develop and advance new products across our network, the agency and client had confidence in Fairfax to deliver on the idea. Together we were able to produce a campaign which drove innovation, product engagement and most importantly awareness of the Quattro for Woman brand.

In the development of the idea/proposal, Blogging on Stuff was effectively going through a growth stage both editorially and by audience numbers. The engaging format created the perfect opportunity for a brand to integrate around content that would be relevant to an audience. This generated the perfect opportunity for Fairfax to develop an environment and personality for Schick that would relate to their audience in a personal way that the rest of their media couldn’t. The Girls Guide was developed as a destination to discuss all topics of interest to women in their twenty’s. The true essence in the overall success of The Girls Guide was Jane Yee. Jane actually was a major factor in the client’s enthusiasm initially as she fitted the brief perfectly.

Jane Yee related to every aspect of a girl living in her “twentysomething” life. Writing 3-5 times per week and also providing a video diary, Jane discussed everything from relationships, through to career, and even living arrangements. This also attracted Schick as it moved away from the traditional unachievable supermodel type often seen as a figure with advertising in this industry. From an engagement level the readers continue to grow and Jane can encourage up to 100 comments on some of her posts.

Utilising our extensive online reach, we were able to promote the blog to gain a relevant audience immediately and therefore exceed expectations from the offset. Complemented by a tactical branding display campaign, Schick Quattro had a dominant national online presence over the summer period. The Girls Guide immediately became our highest read and most engaged blog receiving 108,000 PI’s and 31,000 UB’s in its first month (Dec 07) and since launch averaging 20,000 monthly UB’s. Schick Quattro was completely integrated throughout and developed a 1500+ database through razor giveaways, achieving the objective of putting the product in the targets hands.

The Girls Guide was a well executed idea which delivered Schick a vehicle to engage with their target audience through entertaining, informative and engaging content. It provided the ideal synergy between product and audience as the surrounding display promoted the Schick Quattro for Women razor’s functionality and interacted readers with giveaways and product information. Readers are very receptive to the Schick branding and in no way see it interfering with their experience or influencing the editorial integrity of the content.

Fairfax helped Schick to engage users at a deeper level through creative ad executions, designated environments and content that appeals to Quattro for Women’s core audience. The partnership is now a case study for true online integration and strategic collaboration with a targeted display campaign. This was a smart media executed effectively, not only has this exceeded expectations for the client it has created a popular new destination with online publishing in NZ.