Tutti Frutti, Cuddles, Peacock’s Plume, Pansy Violet. These are not paint chip names men will be thrilled about. On the other hand, Beer, Bacon, Dry Wall and Hockey Puck will likely get a mighty two thumbs up and an eager, “When can we get started?” In the interests of helping women get the colour they want with a name men will agree with, CIL Paints’ created a Facebook app and media campaign, ‘Paint Chip Names For Men.’
Case study summary
• Light-hearted Canadian paint brand campaign tries to win over men with more ‘manly’ paint colours
• Facebook app invited people to create their own 'manly' paint chip names by renaming existing paint chips and entering the contest to win a 'man cave' makeover.
• In 45 days, the small budget campaign got $1m in earned media exposure, 100m online impressions, a 10% increase in sales, and over 15,000 paint chip names.
The challenge
Research showed that while men are typically involved in the purchase and labour of painting, they're not overly enthused about the planning process. So we proposed a solution based on the insight that all paint chip names are categorically feminine, therefore making the painting experience less engaging for men. Hence, CIL's 'Paint Chip Names for Men' was born.
Solution
The campaign included a Facebook app that was promoted through OOH, in-store, newspaper and online video advertising. With the app, people were invited to create their own 'manly' paint chip names by renaming existing paint chips and entering the contest. The app allowed contestants to use all of Facebook's sharing tools to get as many votes as possible in order to win a 'man cave' makeover.
Results
Before the campaign, the CIL brand wasn't being talked about in Canada, despite being around for a century. 'Paint Chip Names for Men' changed that. Over a 45-day period and on a small budget, the campaign achieved all goals and then some, generating well over $1,000,000 in earned media exposure, 100 million online impressions, a 10% increase in sales, and over 15,000 paint chip names.
Other campaign statistics:
• over 20,000 unique users
• 10 minutes average time spent on the app
• 15,000 stories created and spread 400,000 times
As an end note, oddly enough, when random people off the street were shown double-sided paint chips with the feminine and masculine name, they all thought it was two different colors — even though both sides were exactly the same colour.
