O.b. tampons are one of the few applicator-less tampons on the market, and users are fiercely loyal to their brand. But after a distribution problem in 2010, the product disappeared entirely from North American shelves. Many women were upset, and took to the internet to express their frustration. A potential PR disaster loomed. We needed to apologise to our users, starting with the 65,010 women on the o.b. database, and restore the goodwill toward our product.

We apologised to these women in a totally unique way. First, we composed an original song, an ode to each woman on the o.b. database called, A Personal Apology (just for you).

Next, we recorded literally thousands of unique names, which we coded to create a personalised song. Then, we shot a music video in classic, romantic style.

Finally, we sent an email to each woman, including a link to her personal video. Using customised digital elements, we displayed each name to spectacular visual effect - exalted in rose petals, in skywriting and even tattooed on the arm of our hero singer. At the end of the video, users were invited to download a coupon good for a portion off their next o.b. purchase.

We began by sending our personal apology via email to over 65,000 women on the o.b. database, achieving a 61% click-through rate. We then invited users to share their video via social media so friends could make an apology video of their own. A little ‘sorry’ suddenly got big, as o.b. was praised by bloggers and mass media outlets alike for taking crisis management to a new, personal high. We received coverage everywhere from the New York Times to Jezebel to the Times of India.

As of March, 2012 we have received:• 27m video views; • 1,009,200 Facebook shares;• 1.8m Twitter impressions;• 920,107 Coupon downloads; • A 31% increase in sales.