Lost my socks
Issue 19 | September 2011
Agency
Colenso BBDO
Creative Team
Executive Creative Director: Nick Worthington; Digital Creative Director: Aaron Turk; Art Director: Josh Lancaster; Copywriter: Jamie Hitchcock
Production Team
Agency Producer: Nigel Sutton; Digital Developer: David Colquhoun; Designer: Phila Lagaluga
Other Credits
Group Account Director: Scott Coldham; Account Manager: Sally Willis
Date
2011
Background
Late last year, Fisher & Paykel were embroiled in a PR mire. Redundancies, an equity sale and choosing to move their production out of the country had New Zealanders questioning just how patriotic this most Kiwi of white-goods brands really was. The objective, therefore, was simply to counter these unfortunate events with a campaign that would improve New Zealand’s feelings about Fisher & Paykel and earn them a little forgiveness.
Idea
What couldn’t be changed was the fact that Fisher & Paykel had moved their manufacturing base offshore. But what could be changed were attitudes. New Zealanders could be reminded that Fisher & Paykel had a history of world-beating ideas, which were made and used in kitchens around the globe.
The campaign idea was to remember all those innovations of the past 75 years, but to do it with humility and a sense of humour. And to acknowledge that no matter how ingenious they have been, Fisher & Paykel have failed to solve one problem – the mystery of the missing sock.
TV kicked off the campaign and drove New Zealanders to a website where they could register information about their missing sock and obtain a voucher for a replacement pair.
Results
Amazingly, 58,320 people signed up for the offer. Even better, admiration for the Fisher & Paykel brand was almost twice as high for the 73% of New Zealand who recalled the campaign.
Our Thoughts
The trouble with most brands, when they have been through a PR disaster, is they go into advertising overdrive but with their strategy showing.
Cadbury’s were absolutely brilliant when salmonella was discovered to be in one of their countlines. They created the ‘Gorilla’ ad, not to sell chocolate but to get everyone to forget they had been trying to poison us only a couple of months earlier.
They substituted one conversation for another and that’s exactly what Colenso BBDO have done for Fisher & Paykel. Rather than compound the problem by declaring their patriotism, continued investment etc, in the lost sock they just created a red herring.