Conceptualised by Francis Wee’s new agency, Religion, the show — Girl on Girl — debuts next Thursday on Singapore’s main terrestrial channel, MediaCorp’s Channel 5. The show targets young men and aims to highlight the difference between the two genders in order to promote the male shampoo range. “Most men just use whatever shampoo their female partners use,” said Gale Choong, assistant brand manager of Unilever Singapore. “It’s not a high-priority item on their shopping list. What they don’t realise is that their scalps are very different from women’s and more prone to problems.”
Choong said the campaign is Unilever Singapore’s big-gest non-traditional marketing push, and cost about 40 per cent more than most of its above-the-line campaigns. “We wanted to explore content development. It’s the first time we’ve launched a men’s product in Singapore and we know men aren’t receptive to pushy, in-your-face messaging,” she said.
Airtime was purchased as part of a sponsorship package offered by MediaCorp. However, according to Wee, this is the first time a brand in Singapore has created its own TV content. Last year’s heavily-awarded content purchase, Coca-Cola’s A Light Affair, was produced by Media-Corp. “Usually MediaCorp produces its own content and then gets several sponsors,” said Wee.
In the show, six women will fulfill tasks normally reserved for men: killing cockroaches, changing car tyres and passing a National Service challenge. Most contestants are part-time models, and one is an account director from Leo Burnett Singapore, June Wee. Points are awarded for each task and contestants can earn more if viewers vote for them through SMS or at the show’s website, www.clearlyformen. com.sg. Episodes can be downloaded the next day.
The competition runs until the end of August, with the winner taking home S$5,000 (US$3,200) and a BMW-sponsored driving tutorial.
Girl on Girl is further supported by TV, online and retail activation, with media spend estimated at $1 million. Clear launched in Singapore last autumn, and trails its long-established competitor, Head & Shoulders. However, according to Choong, it is the only product of its kind for men.
