Unilever's Lynx spins Snapchat ad views into charitable donations

Brief:

Unilever is making charitable donations via a Snapchat ad campaign for its Lynx personal care brand by partnering with Good-Loop, an ad tech platform that rewards ad viewership, The Drum reported. Good-Loop lets viewers who watch online ads unlock a charity donation at the end of the ad experience.
The Lynx ads started appearing this week on Snapchat in the U.K. to coincide with Giving Tuesday on Nov. 27, a movement to urge charitable donations after Cyber Monday. The video spots feature reality TV star Ollie Locke and Manchester United midfielder Marouane Fellaini.
Unilever will donate 10 pence (about 13 cents) to Ditch the Label, an anti-bullying organization, every time a Snapchat user swipes up on the Lynx ad to learn more.

Insight:

The Lynx campaign is Unilever's latest effort to shift the marketing of its male grooming products, moving from dated male stereotypes to more socially conscious messaging as the social and political climate around the concept of masculinity changes. With its Axe brand, Unilever has attempted to "break the cycle of toxic masculinity" and stop bullying with its "Is it Ok for Guys?" campaign and "Find Your Magic" platform. (Axe products are marketed under the Lynx name in the U.K., Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and China.)

Along with re-teaming with Ditch the Label, which Unilever partnered with for "Is it Ok for Guys?" last year, the Lynx campaign is the latest result of the CPG giant's partnership with Good-Loop. The companies in April began working together on a pilot campaign for Knorr, the Unilever-owned brand of dehydrated soup and meal mixes, bouillon cubes and condiments. Knorr asked viewers to opt in to watch a 15-second video before giving them a chance to donate to one of three charities, according to a statement. While Good-Loop and Unilever haven't disclosed any results from the Knorr pilot, the CPG giant appears committed to Good-Loop's platform with the campaign for its high-profile Lynx brand, as The Drum notes.

Good-Loop was founded by Amy Williams, a former Ogilvy account manager, and has raised £200,000 for charity since starting in 2016. Its goal is to raise £5 million by 2020. Food giant Nestlé has worked with Good-Loop on raising money to support sustainable cocoa plant farming, while shoe brand Toms recently raised £50,000 to disperse among Save The Children, Ashoka and Centrepoint, The Drum reported.

Major brands like those that Unilever manages need to demonstrate their commitment to charitable causes as consumers grow increasingly socially conscious and selective about the values of the brands they choose to support. The Lynx campaign allows Unilever to "put its money where its mouth is," pairing a purpose-driven campaign with actual charitable donations through a social app many consumers are already on.