Inspiration
Stanfield’s Underwear is an independent, family-owned company from Truro, Nova Scotia that has been “supporting men”
for over 150 years.
Through information provided by the Canadian Cancer Society, it was discovered that testicular cancer primarily affects men under the age of 35. Stanfield’s felt this message needed to get out, especially with the 99% curability rate upon early detection. To reach these men in a meaningful way, Stanfield’s launched a campaign that would catch the attention of the demographic, and those who cared for them, based on the brand’s philosophy of “We Support Men.”
Strategy
The goal was to create a campaign to reach this younger demo that would serve as a launch pad to develop a long-term community for Stanfield’s, and create meaningful conversations around testicular cancer awareness and other issues relevant to young men.
Execution
Through an effort conceived by
John St., the website Guyathome.com introduced the world to “The Guy at Home in his Underwear.” Testicular cancer survivor Mark McIntyre spent 25 straight days at home, live, on camera, wearing nothing but his Stanfield’s underwear. For every Facebook “like” that Mark received, Stanfield’s donated a dollar to the Canadian Cancer Society in support of testicular cancer awareness.
Viewers could encourage Mark and participate in various interactive functions such as a live chat with him, review daily highlight videos and have the ability to comment on his online journal. The public could also donate money through a series of challenges, eventually raising enough for Mark to fry bacon, get his chest waxed and get a tattoo. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and a YouTube channel kept viewers in the loop.
Results
The Guy at Home in his Underwear garnered 45.7 million impressions with coast-to-coast coverage (calculated with reach numbers from MRP) and more than 52,000 “likes” on Facebook (more than twice the goal) in 25 days. The biggest spike in “likes” came when articles ran in the National Post, the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Sun. There were 226 stories and 50 interviews throughout the campaign spanning online, broadcast and print, from the end of September until Oct. 30, 2010, and more than 20 outlets ran more than one story – all at a cost per contact of significantly less than $0.01. Also, George Stroumboulopoulos crashed the Guy at Home’s blind date following pre-launch media relations.
The website had 1.3 million page views with viewers tuning in for more than three million minutes (over six years of viewing time) and Stanfield’s became the fastest growing branded Facebook page in Canada.
Over $52,000 was raised for testicular cancer research in 25 days, and the guy barely had to get off the couch.
Judges’ Comments
“Outstanding awareness was achieved throughout a campaign that went well beyond any cause marketing initiative I’ve seen in a long time. Great job showing your ‘support’ for cancers below the waist, Stanfield’s. You’ve definitely provided a great case study for some good marketing briefs.”
James Temple, PricewaterhouseCoopers
“A company that has been in business for over 150 years could appear to be somewhat conservative, but they reached out and used new media to produce fantastic results. They also benefited from well-deserved press. A great sharing of stories which results in strong loyalty to the brand.”
Jo Ann Ely, IBM
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