ALWAYS BAT-MITZVAH

Short List
TitleALWAYS BAT-MITZVAH
BrandP&G
Product/ServiceALWAYS FEMININE CARE
Category G03. Single-market Campaign
Entrant MEDIACOM CONNECTIONS Tel Aviv, ISRAEL
Idea Creation MEDIACOM CONNECTIONS Tel Aviv, ISRAEL
Idea Creation 2 SHAVOT Ramat Gan, ISRAEL
Media Placement MEDIACOM CONNECTIONS Tel Aviv, ISRAEL
PR STERN ARIELY SAAR Bnei Brak, ISRAEL
Production STERN ARIELY SAAR Bnei Brak, ISRAEL
Production 2 SHAVOT Ramat Gan, ISRAEL
Production 3 ACW GREY TEL-AVIV, ISRAEL
Production 4 KESHET/MAKO Tel-Aviv, ISRAEL
Post Production ACW GREY TEL-AVIV, ISRAEL
Post Production 2 KESHET/MAKO Tel-Aviv, ISRAEL
Credits
Name Company Position
Gal Swisa P&G Brand Manager
Shai Eluk Shavot CEO
Neomi Wishinski P&G Category Manager
Eldad Postan Shavot Chairman
Dana Wolfsfeld Mediacom Communication Planning Director
Gilad Kat Mediacom Connections Ltd. Communication Planning Director
Galit Saar Stern Ariely Saar Chief Executive Officer
Shai Benchetrit P&G Assistant Brand Manager
roni Hecht Stern Ariely Saar PR Co-ordinator
Pupi Ariely Stern Ariely Saar Chief Executive Officer
Shay Chikotay ACW Grey Tel-Aviv Senior copywriter
Ophir Guttman P&G Israel Country Manager
Shimi Hamias Mediacom Connections Ltd. Client Service Director
Liron Schifter P&G Brand Manager
Roni Shacham P&G Marketing Director
Yulia Shavelzon Mediacom Connections Ltd. Commercial Director
Nirit Levy Keshet TV CMO
Yaara Tirosh Mako Marketing Director
Yaron Farizon Mediacom Connections Ltd. CEO

Why is this work relevant for Media?

A Bat-Mitzvah is a once-in-a-lifetime event, celebrated when a Jewish girl turns 12. The Corona virus wrecked this significant moment but Always came through by organizing the first ever virtual Bat-Mitzvah. With this initiative we managed to tap onto the personal, the cultural and the national state of mind simultaneously and in the most relevant, timely manner. Through a combination of Paid, Owned and Earned media we created a true mass media event that clearly cemented Always as the pioneer in “Fempowerment” and THE force for female good even when everything seems lost.

Background

The marketing battleground in the Femcare category takes place when girls enter puberty. Once a brand decision is made it is extremely difficult to change it. Given Always’ category dominance (70% Market Share), competitors only way in is to try to appeal to the young teens who are entering the category. We constantly need to protect this important strategic target (and their main influencers - moms) as it is the most susceptible to competitors attempts. Always’ purpose is building feminine confidence both as a direct function of its products as well as on a higher-level by empowering girls during the sensitive puberty age. Starting with the iconic “Like-A-Girl” campaign from a few years ago, Always’ aim is to go beyond simply raising awareness to the issue of teen girls’ decline in confidence and focus on “action” – ensuring that Always is recognized as taking credible steps to improve girls’ confidence.

Describe the creative idea / insights (30% of vote)

Right around the age of 12 when brand choices are being formed in the category, a unique rite of passage also takes place – The Bat Mitzva, the Jewish coming of age ritual for girls. This milestone is celebrated with meaningful gatherings and joyous parties which are planned in detail sometimes even years in advance. But when Covid-19 hit, all the plans and preparations became futile. With no gatherings, no hugging and no celebrations allowed, a young teenage girl’s most significant moment in life was ruined. As THE “Fempowerment” brand, we wanted to prove to young girls that while there are sometimes things we can’t control in life (like a virus out-break for example…), one should never give up. The idea was to organize the first ever virtual Bat- Mitzvah, powered by Always! A completely virtual Bat-Mitzva party that would be way more exciting than the originally planned one!

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

Technology was rediscovered during the pandemic as a force which enables safe social engagement. What if we could harness its power to assist young girls in times of distress? We will create a bigger, better and much more exciting celebration for every girl who missed her event due to the global pandemic, to bring back the optimism and self-confidence of young teen-age girls nationwide. To make it a bigger than life national event it will feature the most prominent figures from all walks of life, making it a “must attend” event of all girls who missed their celebrations due to the coronavirus crisis, as well as their families and friends. Despite catering to a specific audience Always' aim was to uplift the spirits of a larger population group, starting with the parents and all the way to the entire community who was in dire need of "feel good" Initiatives.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

A promotional video built anticipation for the upcoming event as well as shared the Bat-Mitzvah invite details on social media (FB/IG). We recruited top mass-media partners, the leading TV channel and website which further supported the event with branded content segments, PR and special behind the scenes interviews with mom & daughter duos who had a unique story related to their Bat-Mitzvah. On April 22nd @ 6PM at their own living room, more than 1,400 girls who turned/will turn 12 between March 1st and May 31st, 2020 celebrated together their Bat-Mitzvah, enabled by Always. Using a Kaltura video platform we were able to combine a private intimate personal event with a huge public, “never-seen before” Bat-Mitzva celebration. The hottest acts put on a show just for the girls and even the president of Israel logged on to greet the girls! Special Always home-delivered giftpacks surprised participants during the event.

List the results (30% of vote)

1,400 Bat-Mitzvah girls celebrated (15% of all eligible girls!), each was joined on average by 30 friends and family members. The buzz around the event and the quality of the acts, drew tens of thousands additional teens. The event was featured on the main TV evening news. Post initiative survey shows: • 43% of women and 52% of teen girls are aware of the initiative and attribute it to Always ((indexing 124 vs. average on sponsorships). As a result: • Top Of Mind grew from 70% (December 2019) to 75% and even more impressive amongst teen girls from 66% to 79%, reversing a declining trend for the first time since Feb 2017! • Unaided Brand Awareness amongst all women grew from 88% to 92% and amongst teens from 81% to 90%. • “Always is a brand that understands me” reached highest levels ever indexing 127 vs. YAG.

Please tell us how the work was designed / adapted for a single country / region / market.

It's obvious that the Always-Bat-Mitzvah could not have been executed anywhere else in the world except then in the Jewish state but this goes beyond only the religious and cultural aspects of this coming-of-age ritual. In a category which enjoys super-high loyalty once a brand decision is made, the point of market entry becomes a marketing battleground and it was extremely important for Always to keep winning in this strategic stronghold which due to Always market dominance in Israel served as the only potential way in for competitors. We tapped onto the global mission of building teen girls' confidence but gave it a super local and time relevant context. When Covid hit and Bat Mitzvahs were canceled Always came through and organized an alternative celebration with the most popular local hosts and talents (not to mention the president!) making it a national "feel-good" event widely picked up by the media.