Clean and Clear's #SeeTheRealMe Campaign: Getting Women To Flaunt Their True Selves

Clean and Clear India has launched its campaign across India, #SeeTheRealMe. The campaign name itself places the idea in your mind of what this initiative looks at achieving. By creating a 50 second video, this campaign places girls and women at their forefront by encouraging them to take a stand against social prejudices and stereotypes. Every girl or woman is more than what her complexion or looks dictate. This campaign is just for them!

Objective

• Encouraging users to upload pictures and videos about how they believe in themselves and stand a chance to win prizes.
• To show their voice and support for women who have been treated unfairly because of prejudices and even called names.

Almost every overweight child or avid book reader or dark skinned woman can relate to a childhood that experienced unfair name-calling or a prejudice against them simply because they looked different on the outside. This campaign is about getting these people together and showing the world that they want to be judged only after being known. That there is more to them than meets the eye or as the phrase goes: “Don’t judge a book by its cover”

Execution

The campaign has been launched on Facebook and a 50 second video uploaded to YouTube. The Clean & Clear website promotes this campaign and allows you to upload the images and videos here for your chance to win some great prizes.

User participation has been made simple. All that a participant needs to do is head to the Facebook page, and share a story of what makes you unique and your story of how you overcame people’s prejudices. It could even have a before/ after image of how you’ve changed and gained that confidence you possess now.

The video involves some typical faces you’d have seen in your youth, perhaps even resembles what you were like when younger.

Being called names and cornered with a prejudice is never fun. This video tells you that its okay to be who you are. Being someone else doesn’t make you unique or different.

Being proud of the person you are and showing that to the world highlights your character and personality. That’s what Clean & Clear have aimed to do here.

Beyond the looks to the person inside. Clean & Clear understands that this is an issue most girls and women deal with. While some handle it admirably, a lot of women crumble to the pressure. This video and campaign is for them to reclaim their lives as they are and challenge people to see them beyond their shallow view.

Positives

This is a great campaign idea that makes a girl or a woman take a break and look at themselves. This powerful campaign will stir up a lot of women with emotions that have been suppressed for years. Childhood memories of being labelled and made fun of all add to the nostalgia. But now, if they haven’t already, they have the chance to stand up for themselves and let people notice and be ashamed of what they have done or are doing.

When you give people a reason to stand up, they gather strength in numbers. It’s easier to stand up for yourself when you know you’re not alone.

Encouraging the target audience to contribute to your brand’s campaign is a great way to make your customers feel one with the brand. Also the fact that the message conveyed through the video empathizes with its audience, giving path to actually vent out their pent up emotions is a good way to get potential customers talking. Its only when a brand is capable of getting people respond / react to its message in a certain way is when the campaign can be called a successful one.

Scope for Improvement

I actually love this campaign. I think it’s a brilliant way to approach the prejudiced society has managed to form around people who are different simply by looks. But considering the fact that Indian audiences are not as much confident while it comes to capturing a video as an entry to a contest as opposed to the comfort level the audiences have, while it comes to sharing a photo entry, the brand needs to study the nature of their target group before formulating the tactic of reaching their goal. Probably when the audience reaches a comfort level where he / she isn’t diffident sharing videos of themselves online, could marketers re-look into using video content from the audience as a marketing strategy.

Conclusion

A lovely campaign with a very cute video to boot, this may generate a lot of interest for Clean & Clear as people start seeing it and begin viewing their actions towards complexion and being nerdy or overweight. They will begin to see how important their actions and words are only when they see how small they make other people feel. Perhaps a side campaign or follow up of this could be tips on how to overcome challenges women are  currently undergoing and helping them gain confidence & self belief to see their real selves, could fetch Clean & Clear better results!