Rexona in Vietnam push

Brandie Tan, creative director of Lowe Vietnam, said: “Deodorant isn’t very popular in Vietnam. The client wanted to break the social stigma Vietnamese have about using deodorant - to make people feel that it’s okay to use deodorant, because even Bao Thy uses it.”

The spot features the star describing her success, remembering the tough times she endured with sweat and tears. At the mention of sweat, the singer revealed how body odour almost got the better of her career, but Rexona has never let her down. The spot ends with the endline: ‘It only takes 9,500 dong (US$1) to be a star.’

A limited TV budget forced the remainder of the campaign outdoors. “People don’t know that they have body odour, so we needed to reveal it to them. Which prompted us to come up with the poster,” said Tan. The poster featured Bao Thy holding her breath while holding up a stick of Rexona as she looks back at the consumer. As the poster is only mounted halfway on walls, consumers are forced to lift the posters to see it in its entirety - exposing their armpits in the process.

Rexona is the second-largest deodorant brand in Vietnam. At 13 per cent market share, it trails Nivea, the market leader with 36 per cent share.