Case Study: It Starts With You - Redefining Men's Confidence in a Digital World

How does a skincare brand connect with men when the very rituals of self-care are disrupted? In a world of lockdowns and remote work, many men felt less motivated to take care of their appearance. For cosmetics giant Nivea Men, this presented a profound challenge: How do you replicate the intimate, tactile experience of skincare marketing in a purely digital space, and how do you inspire confidence when the world is behind a screen?

The Challenge: Selling a Feeling, Digitally

The core challenge was twofold:

1. Overcoming Apathy: We needed to convince men that self-care still matters, even when work, socializing, and dating happen on Zoom or from behind a mask.
2. Bridging the Sensory Gap: With no way for customers to feel, touch, or smell the product, we had to find a new way to communicate the feeling of confidence that Nivea Men provides.

The Insight: Mirroring the Moment

Our strategic insight was to embrace this limitation. We realized the marketing challenges we faced were a perfect echo of the emotional challenges men were facing: a loss of connection and a crisis of confidence.

Our approach was to create a sympathetic, relatable multimedia campaign that addressed these insecurities head-on. We wouldn't try to replicate the physical experience; instead, we would focus on the emotional outcome, proving that even in a disconnected world, confidence is an internal job. It starts with you.

The Execution: A Dual-Pronged Digital Activation

We launched two distinct digital campaigns designed to foster connection and build confidence from the inside out.

1. "Barber Talk": Recreating Camaraderie, Virtually
We knew that for many men, the barbershop is a sanctuary—a place for honest conversation and connection. We recreated this classic comradery with a lifestyle video hosted by prominent influencer HAK and famous local barber Zaw Moe.

• The Concept: The video directly addressed the feeling held by many men: "Why bother with self-care during a pandemic?" HAK and Zaw Moe encouraged men to take pride in their appearance for themselves, linking it to mental well-being while seamlessly featuring products from Nivea Men’s Deep series.
• The Result: Leveraged on HAK’s social channels, the video was a viral hit with 712,000 views, proving the message resonated deeply.

2. "Speak Up With Confidence": Linking Grooming to Life Goals
To deepen the conversation, we launched a live stream talk show with two major influencers: singer and writer Han Htue Lwin and singer Han Nay Tar.

• The Concept: The show explored how the guests overcame personal barriers to build confidence and chase their dreams. It powerfully linked the courage to pursue one's passions to the daily act of taking pride in oneself, starting with basic hygiene and personal styling.
• The Result: The live stream was a hit among male viewers, drawing over 286,000 viewers and 700 comments, demonstrating deep engagement with the aspirational message.

The Impact: Building a Connection Beyond the Screen

By shifting the focus from product features to the feeling of internal confidence, the "It starts with you" campaign successfully navigated a challenging marketing landscape.

• The campaign achieved a combined viewership of over 1 million across its two core activations.
• It successfully addressed the audience's real-life insecurities with a message of sympathy and empowerment.
• Nivea Men powerfully reinforced its brand association with authentic, resilient confidence, proving that even when we're apart, the journey to feeling good is one we can take together.