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Procter & Gamble taps Tituss Burgess to star in digital-first video campaign

Procter & Gamble is testing out a video campaign that features Emmy-nominated actor Tituss Burgess on social media, before it reaches broadcast and cable airwaves for its line of scent-boosting products

The campaign, named Fresh Too Feisty to Quit, is currently airing on Downy Unstopables? Facebook and YouTube pages, before airing on national television this winter and in-store retail assets going on display next spring. The campaign marks the latest example of a brand going digital-first and using the social channel to anchor the debut of its campaign.

?The Unstopables brand always strives to break through category norms,? said Rotha Penn Brauntz, fabric care communications manager at Procter & Gamble.  

?It¹s why we were one of the first scent boosters on the market. So, the work for the ?Fresh Too Feisty To Quit? campaign? and the way that we launched it? needed to break a few norms too. 

?Knowing that the Unstopables audience tunes into social media numerous times throughout their day, we decided to turn to social channels to introduce them to our campaign.?

Digital-facing approach
The Fresh Too Feisty to Quit campaign features materials on the brand's Facebook page, including GIFs featuring Mr. Burgess, of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt fame. 

Its presence on YouTube is much more robust, with three mobile-optimized videos of varying length featuring Mr. Burgess. In one such video, Mr. Burgess advises on how to best use Downy Unstopables in between joking about his own career trajectory and riffing on Shakespeare, among various other gags. 


The content is showing signs of resonance with audiences, boasting over 200,000 views between the three videos in just under a week, boding well for the nascent campaign.

An event held at the Gansevoort Park Avenue Hotel in New York with Mr. Burgess, named the ?Fresh and Feisty Soiree,? debuted the campaign. 

Most notable is the significant gap between the content?s debut on YouTube and its rollout on traditional media. The approach flips an old standard on its head, one where brands would curate and produce content geared towards television, then repost it on digital channels as an afterthought in order to bolster its presence. 

Now, mobile-optimized online venues for content are becoming more appetizing for brands as consumers become more comfortable with them as a viable platform. With most consumers having some significant digital presence, social and digital channels can provide a medium for pitch-perfect advertising through processes like pixel tracking and retargeting, ensuring that brands optimize the use of every advertising dollar.


Looking forward
Procter & Gamble has shown no signs of the calcified approach that many heritage companies have towards shifting to the digital space. The consumer goods conglomerate recently continued its approach of reaching out to groups on social platforms by holding a Twitter party that invited college students to participate for a chance to win a gift card (see story).

Sony Pictures also promoted its latest offering, Inferno, with a creative digital approach, collaborating with Google to invite fans to complete elaborate puzzles online to win weekly prizes (see story).

?Mobile is transforming everything,? Ms. Brauntz said. 

?It transformed the way people access information, get content, search for things they are interested in and make purchase decisions whether they are online or in-store.

?When we were developing the concepts behind ?Fresh Too Feisty To Quit,? we felt that it was important to not only have a recognizable face for the campaign, but also someone who embodies a ?fresh that?s too feisty to quit? spirit. 

?Tituss Burgess was a natural choice for us. Whether he?s on a television set or in the music studio, Tituss tackles his day with a sense of confidence and with such zest that he truly is the personification of our campaign.?