This case really showcases all the hard work and people involved in the campaign before it actually came to live. The research process itself took more than 2 years, from the first insight to the final execution. Every single step forward opened new questions and demanded though creative thinking to address the issues that came up. Without a clear and complex understanding of the problems which then led to a solid strategy, the creative execution wouldn’t be as striking as it turned out to be.

In the US, Degree is the #3 deodorant brand. In recognition that movement matters for both physical ?and mental health the brand's purpose is "to inspire confidence in everyone to move more”. But what does the word ?“everyone” really mean? “Everyone” should mean every single one, including the 26%? of adults in the US that have some type of disability.* So we asked ourselves, ?are Degree’s products designed ?to be used by everyone?

The answer was “Not really”

We believe in order to enjoy the benefits of movement in daily life, everyone should be able to take care of their hygiene needs self-sufficiently. And at some point in time, we all are going to need help.

But when we realized our products represented a barrier to this, ?we decided it was time to align the design of our products to our brand values.?

In order ?to co-build we gathered a team of product designers, engineers, occupational therapists, psychologists, and disabled consultants who began to contemplate the idea of an inclusive deodorant and what it would look like.

We then ran exploration sessions with the disabled community, both with vision impairment and upper limb differences, and identified the main issues with deodorant packaging: grasping, opening, closing, application motions, and tactile perceptibility. ?

To optimize the design and product formulation,? Degree created a beta testing program in the U.S. and UK to give people with disabilities the chance to try the new design and give their feedback on its concept, product features, and messaging. They helped improve all product and marketing mix elements for its full consumer launch.

The core creative output was the inclusive product itself, which was a radical new design that looked unlike any other deodorant bottle, with features including a magnetic cap, hook, and large bottom grip. Although this campaign features only the beta test, ?the inclusive product is now in development for broad scale production and distribution.

The beta product launch was supported by 2 hero films telling the story of Nick, a barber with no hands who is also a boxer and Maria, who is blind yet skates beautifully. Their stories were told on social media and hit major news media across US and Europe.

At the core was engaging the disabled community, so we worked with disability influencers (some of whom had been involved in the co-creation sessions) to generate awareness and excitement via earned social.

The primary result was the actual creation of the inclusive product prototype, a radically different design which met its objective of being able to be used independently by people with disabilities.?

People with disabilities responded with messages of hope and celebration in their thousands: "I need this in my life”, “This is amazing; I've been trying to get something like this designed for years."

Most importantly, thanks to Degree Inclusive, the work to make more personal care products accessible and inclusive, has now begun in both Haircare and Skincare categories. Unilever is now actively developing inclusive designs for 3 of their biggest beauty and personal care brands and P&G announced the launch of an inclusive pack for Olay in November 2021. Additionally, search results for “inclusive packaging” now number 56m, compared to 39m a year before, showing that Degree started an industry debate and a movement to design more inclusively.