To help Lever 2000 build all-family equity and promote Pure Rain Body Wash, M Booth & Associates helped the brand have some good, clean family fun on Memorial Day weekend – the unofficial start of the summer season – by creating the "World's Biggest Shower."  At 80' long, 8' wide and 12' tall, the giant shower accommodated hundreds of sudsy men, women and children who danced their way to pure refreshment – and into the 2002 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records.  The branded event whet the appetite of media, generating more than 86 million consumer impressions including 116 national broadcasts stories, segments on The Today Show, CBS Early Morning Show and CNN Headline News.  It also received coverage in Newsweek.

PROGRAM CHALLENGE

With competition from head to toe in the body wash category and Pure Rain Body Wash’s late entry onto the scene, Unilever wanted to raise awareness and create a splash on a relatively tight budget.  By creating the World’s Biggest Shower, not only would “Lever 2000 Pure Rain Body Wash” saturate the national media, consumers would sample the product live on camera.  M Booth & Associates developed a public relations strategy that not only gained local New York media attention, but national media as well.

RESEARCH/PLANNING PROCESS

The location and event dates were crucial to the success of the “World’s Biggest Shower.”  A high-attendance location was necessary to ensure that consumers received 25,000 samples of “Lever 2000 Pure Rain Body Wash.”  Many locations and markets were considered, including Miami, Boston and Los Angeles, but Jones Beach seemed the most appropriate due to its demographic, attendance and close proximity to New York's media outlets.

M Booth worked with a production company to research, design and create a structure -- with Pure Rain Body Wash logos strategically placed -- that looked like a shower, felt like a shower, and was able to be constructed and taken down in one day.  The shower was designed to fit directly onto a boardwalk.  The shower's drainage system was ecologically safe to ensure no damage was done to the beach.  Site visits planned the best location for media and beachgoers.  

STRATEGIC APPROACH

Memorial Day Weekend seemed the ideal weekend to enjoy a pure refreshing blast of “Lever 2000 Pure Rain Body Wash” in the “World’s Biggest Shower.”  Media invariably cover beaches on that weekend, and the shower visual was certain to heat up reporters. 

The program objectives were as follows:

  • Build awareness of Lever 2000 Pure Rain Body Wash in second quarter 
  • Sample target consumers – families with children ages 4-18

M Booth & Associates designed a media-worthy event that reinforced the brand’s family equity and the product’s refreshing benefit.  The “Shower’s” design earned an entry in the Guinness World Records Book, adding creditability to the event.

Additionally, the one-day event would provide an opportunity to target consumers and encourage sampling. 

CAMPAIGN EXECUTION 

Media outreach for the program began three weeks prior to Memorial Day with the distribution of a media advisory to local newspaper calendar listings, flyers to boys and girls clubs and scouting troupes, and “Lever 2000 World’s Biggest Shower” product buckets to television personalities.  

A 25-man crew used a variety of materials to construct the “Shower,” including 26 shower nozzles, 2 pumps, 300 feet of hose, 300 feet of electrical cable, 400 feet of bar grating, 250 feet of 2x12 lumber and a 5,000 gallon truck with a kerosene heater to warm the water for the shower.  Brand signage and handouts ensured visibility for Lever 2000 Pure Rain Body Wash.     

A “Shower Power” team distributed Lever 2000 Pure Rain Body Wash samples on Jones Beach and boardwalk.  To help increase traffic in and around the shower, a DJ was hired to play music, organize games and encourage consumers to use the free samples.

M Booth used an onsite editing truck to satellite feed the b-roll footage so it could be used on the evening news that day.  Additionally, an event photo was distributed over the wire.   

RESULTS

Over the Memorial Day weekend, M Booth’s “Lever 2000 Pure Rain Body Wash World’s Biggest Shower” received a tidal wave of media attention, generating more than 86 million consumer media impressions with 116 TV stories, including Today, The Early Show and CNN Headline News.  A feature story appeared in Newsweek and Z-100, New York’s #1 hit music station, broadcast event announcements and sent the Z-100 Party Patrol to give away prizes onsite, including CDs and Mets baseball tickets.  More than 25,000 product samples were distributed during the 3-day weekend.  Additionally, the team set a Guinness World Record with the “Shower” measuring 80 feet, 3.5 inches long, 8 feet wide and 12 feet high.  The record will be included in the book’s 2002 edition.