Why a telecom operator started selling sunscreen
Scarlet
Issue 41 | December 2016
Agency
BBDO Brussels
Creative Team
Creative Director Arnaud Pitz Creative Director Sebastien De Valck Associate Creative Director Klaartje Galle Creative Team Toon Vanpoucke Morgane Choppinet
Production Team
TV Producer Nicolas Van Poeck
Other Credits
Strategic Planner Jan Van Brakel Content Strategist Laura Deknock Social Content Producer Jan Schraeyen Account Director Catherine De Block Account Manager Pauline Verboomen
Date
March 2016
Background
Scarlet, a Belgian Telco, was the first provider in Belgium to stop their roaming charges. They needed to find a way to communicate this to their clients and the Belgian public.
Idea
Unexpectedly, Scarlet, a Telco in Belgium, started running ads on TV, on posters and online selling the Scarlet Snorkel set and Scarlet Sunscreen. People could order the new products online or buy them in Scarlet's own pop-up shop as well as in travel agents.
After a week of this activity, Scarlet's CEO made a video to explain that since Scarlet had axed all roaming charges, they were having to find new ways to make money for the company. As everyone was aware, Telecom operators never thought of anything other than cold, hard cash.
Ironic?
Just enough to make Belgium aware that Scarlet was the first Telco to completely do away with roaming charges.
Results
Scarlet had the most successful month since they were founded 8 years ago. They more than doubled their sales with 122% compared with the same period last year.
They also sold out of snorkels and sun cream.
Our Thoughts
The Danes, the Brits and the Belgians get irony. I'm not sure anyone else in Europe does, really. And even then, there are many Danish, British and Belgian clients who would have looked incredulously at the agency that suggested to them they should spend money on (a) sourcing snorkels and (b) on advertising them. But gloriously, Bruno Delhaise, Scarlet's CEO, went for it. Fortune favours the brave and the fact that the company got more people signing up to its services than ever before can't simply have been because they had scrapped roaming charges. People like a deal but in this instance they also like the company.