Listerine – Same Same, But Different

Objective:

Listerine aimed to understand new ways to engage consumers with product messaging and promote regular usage. Consumer see the mouthwash category as something they use to reduce bad breath when needed, but killing the bacteria that cause it requires daily usage. How could the brand talk in an engaging way about how consumers should use a product they think they know?

Insight:

Most mouthwash ads are fear based and therefore something consumers don’t want to regularly think about. The category has operated on a fear and risk model that drives sporadic usage, but won’t create a routine because it lacks a consistent positive.

Approach: 

Create a positive message about regular mouthwash usage that doesn’t rely on fear. Instead make users think about a new benefit and routine over time they can build towards with Listerine.

Idea:

Tell the story of mouthwash usage through twins in a positive digital and social media campaign that avoids fear or clinical imagery. ‘Same Same, but Different’ uses dance and music to show how one twin is more confident and happier with her breath after thirty days of usage vs. another.

Results:

The campaign was tested against the previous year’s creative idea in a closed Google ecosystem A / B test. It delivered significantly higher brand uplift and consideration relative to the previous campaign and category norms for the UK.  

// Agency: VaynerMedia EMEA

// Role: Head of Strategy