In early 2010, Unilever launched a campaign on Facebook to distribute samples of its new Marmite Cereal Bar and to drive awareness of the new product. This case study shows how the brand used the Facebook Ad Units format to create buzz, generating 22m impressions and distributing 33,000 samples to its target audience of mums and young adults.
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Brand: Unilever Marmite |Media: Facebook | Country: UK |Sector: Food & Beverages| Agency: Mindshare | Format: Facebook Ad Unit
The purpose of the campaign was to get drive awareness about the launch of the new product and distribute samples.
The company took advantage of Facebook Targeting to target its ads to mums and adults 16– to 44-years-old. Targeting on Facebook allows the most likely customers to be reached based on information they list in their profiles, without revealing the personal data of the people who fit into the targeting categories.
Unilever ran a Sampling Ad with an ad headline that read “Free Marmite Cereal Bar” The Ad invited users to “Try the world’s first savoury cereal bar for free.” It also included social context, displaying the names of the users friends who had requested a free sample.
Once users clicked on the call-to-action in the Ad, they were given the unique opportunity to fill out their shipping address, within the Ad Unit, providing them with a quick and easy way to request a sample without leaving their Newsfeed.
Unilever was the first UK Fast Moving Consume Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) company to run this format on Facebook in the UK.
By harnessing the reach and targeting power of Facebook, Unilever was able to leverage both the platform’s viral nature and the fact that users are more likely to try products when they’re recommended by their friends. The social network can offer valuable earned media, as brand loyalists will continue to discuss products on Facebook long after an advertising campaign has officially ended.
The campaign generated 21.5 million impressions over a period of two weeks. The campaign resulted in 10% increase in the number of people connected to the Facebook page. Through the Facebook sampling initiate Unilever delivered 33,000 samples in two weeks to the target audience.
“Facebook offers a great opportunity for us to engage with our consumers in a place where they are already spending lots of time. The Marmite sampling activity is a great example of how we’ve worked closely with Facebook to innovate in this area.” – Amanda Smith, Interactive Marketing Manager at Unilever
Facebook Case Study (PDF)
