Pantene has always fought for gender equality. Especially in Asia, they have always led from the front with bold campaigns in the past to explicitly address prejudice against women. But this is the first time they are choosing to positively impact the Transgender community in Thailand. 'Strong is beautiful' was their belief and their line for years.

Pantene wanted to genuinely serve and empower a relevant community in a way that their broader audience of millennials would find relevant and engaging as well. Serving a smaller specific community that is underrepresented or on the fringes of society when done with authenticity wins brand love with the masses.

Reach, engagement quantity and depth and quality and eventually move brand affinity and love - all with a mobile first designed for social idea and execution.

#SeeBeautyNotGender - This mobile first campaign with social thinking at its core was co-created with celebrities, influencers, creators and activists from the Trans community. Short feed videos, images, streaming video and interactive IG stories, all made with, starring and directed by Transwomen challenged society to stop the unconscious bias. To stop focussing on their gender so much that it blinds them to all their other beautiful human qualities. What Thai Transwomen wanted the most to change, came through and resonated with authenticity. Along with seeding and amplification from the celebrity handles, a second wave of LGBTQI influencers and Thai cultural ambassadors mainstreamed the conversation.

We did not just gather data, we actually got Tranwomen in Thailand to create the campaign.

We conducted in person interviews, focus groups and reached out to online groups and communities to understand what they felt was the biggest issue for them. Was it bullying, bias in hiring or legal rights. The idea was shaped, the scripts were written and even the shooting and executions were done in full collaboration with the community, the agency, Facebook and Pantene.

The audience targeted on FB and IG was a broader Pantene audience- 18 upwards and female including those identifying as female in Thailand.

Hair is the first expression of femininity for Transwomen as they transition and Pantene is a brand that has always fought for gender equality, they did not want to appropriate someone else’s experience. Instead it gave Thai Transwomen a stage to express their story in their own authentic voices.

* We used the pitch play plunge strategy on FB and IG for maximum reach and frequency. From instant attention grabbing short form statics designed for mobile consumption on the go, to interactive tappable IG stories that gave people a role to play and immersive long form video for when they lean back and are willing to stay with the content.

* The content was designed to be social in nature to provoke conversations with open ended questions inviting comments, engagement and online dialogue. A second wave of LGBTQI and popular culture influencers (to mainstream the issue and not have it echo in the LGBTQI chamber) seeded and spread the campaign both organically through millions of highly active followers and also boosted and paid with cross tagging by the brand.

* Four weeks plus amplification.

* Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Twitter.

* The reach on Facebook and Instagram alone was over 11 MM. Plus the amplification through online groups and influencers drove reach even further. A staggering 400,000 positive reactions, 13,000 shares and 6.7 Million views and engagement on Facebook and Instagram showed not just the quantity but quality and depth of engagement.

* Also #1 Trending topic on twitter within 3 hours and 13 976684 views on Youtube.

* And the conversation continued offline with tons of press coverage.

* But the best result? The campaign was so successful that it created lasting commitment from the brand. Poyd is now an official Pantene brand ambassador the world’s first Trans woman to be one. Inspired by Thailand, Pantene Philippines just signed their first Transgender brand ambassador too.