Health brand marketing – a P&G case study in driving revenue through social media

When P&G finds that social efforts increase sales, and do so more effectively than traditional advertising, we should pay attention. Earlier this week, Josh Bernoff, Forrester Research’s VP and Principle Analyst presented a case study of P&G’s BeingGirl community building site at IAB’s Social Media Conference.

As reported in this Ecoconsultancy blog post For Procter & Gamble, the indirect approach increased sales, Bernoff chose the site because people (and particularly 13 year old girls) don’t want to be discussing personal hygiene products (specifically tampons).

So P&G’s indirect approach was to create a community for these young girls to discuss the issues that stress them out them most. By providing health facts, a discussion forum, and relevant culture items on a site with Tampax and Always branding, P&G greatly increased sales. According to the company, the site was four times as effective per dollar spend as advertising. And the site is now duplicated in 21 different countries.

But the real lesson for Bernoff, and what many marketers still don’t seem to grasp, is that people don’t care to discuss your products. They’re simply not that important. Much more significant is how you help them solve their problems. That’s when ears perk up, conversations start to take place and hearts start to beat faster. And hopefully, you can be the one to provide the solution to their problems in ways that others can’t. Only then, does your product really matter.