Brand Storytelling | Brand Strategy and Influencer Partnerships

Soleil Sensitive Advanced Launch

THE SITUATION

BIC is the value leader in razors, creating best-in-class products at an affordable price. But in recent years, BIC has been losing shares to boutique and DTC brands that were all lowering prices or offering deals to gain trial.

The Challenge

The Soleil razor franchise was losing share and needed to generate attention from retailers and consideration from shoppers. How does a challenger brand appeal to a fickle consumer with an overwhelming number of choices but often shops on price and innovation alone? On top of that, BIC is often out-spent in advertising and out-innovated in the category.

Through comprehensive data, we determined that common feminine stereotypes are still the norm for women’s products. And as it turns out, when a razor performs well, women recognize the strength and confidence they receive from a fresh, clean, and smooth shave. They feel ready to take on their day, sport, boss – whatever it might be.

While category leaders like Venus are positioned stereotypically and have a declining share, upstart brands like Billie authentically talk to women and deliver 100% of their business goals one-third of the time. Culturally, women are changing the conversation and changing the world. The Women’s March in 2017 drew an estimated 5MM attendees across 600 marches worldwide. It was the largest single-day protest in U.S. history, while Twitter posts about women’s issues increased 300% over the past few years. 2028 will be the tipping point when the average American woman is expected to earn more than the average American male.

The Inspirational Insight

Women want performance in a razor because they want an edge in work/life. Tapping into their fierceness and confidence authentically could elevate the brand and encourage new conversations.

The Concept

Inspira created the Soleil Sensitive Advanced “GAME ON” campaign platform to present an honest conversation around performance, confidence, movement, and achievement while showcasing our product.

With our insight and a product benefit anchored in water activation, we chose the 2020 Summer Olympics as a sponsor. As the “Official Razor of USA Swimming,” we partnered with Olympic athletes Katie Ledecky and Simone Manuel to create a high-profile campaign focused on confidence, performance, and drive. This culturally relevant partnership resonated with large retailers and consumers alike.

In addition to the campaign platform, we led the strategy for celebrity integration, developed all creative to support the media plan, and guided the PR and social media strategy. We also designed the in-store merchandising units, created the lifestyle sampling strategy and plan, and conceived an experiential activation.

Despite having to pivot due to COVID, our activation was pushed to 2021 to support the rescheduled Olympics, and the campaign achieved robust results and beat all benchmarks.