Points-of-sale displays are almost always forgettable. And razor displays are never talked about. So we set out to design a display that people had no choice but to notice, one that made consumers feel their best about making a purchase. We designed an Olympics-themed winners’ podium that displayed our razors. We built it in a high traffic area – 11 feet high, 8 feet wide. To reach the razors, men had to climb to the top of the podium. Once they grabbed one, surprise celebrations erupted.

It’s very difficult to get consumers excited enough about products to purchase them. It’s even trickier during the Olympics. We placed an Olympics-themed winners’ podium that displayed our golden razors in the store. To reach the razors, men had to climb to the top of the podium. Once they grabbed one, surprise celebrations erupted. Our media team made sure our display would become more than just an in-store thing. A film crew was secretly planted in the store to document interactions men had with the display. By turning a display into online content, our media team turned our idea into an overnight viral success. Starting with YouTube releasing the video at the start of the Olympics – then utilizing multiple touch points to spread the news throughout the two weeks of the Olympics. Postings on social networks and video news releases were strategically time-based, reactive to Team Germany’s real-time performance during the Olympics.

Our target responded immediately to Gillette’s In-store podium stunt – resulting in 2.2 million YouTube views within just the two weeks of the Olympics – and an immediate 25% jump in Olympic Edition Razor sales, with nearly 50% growth in the consumer segment. In addition, it was the #3 most viewed video in Germany during the Olympics, and #7 on YouTube Germany “Best Videos of 2012.” In the end, it over-delivered against all key business measures, far surpassing volume goals.