Procter & Gamble Co. celebrates the 50th anniversary of Secret deodorant today by launching a “Share your Secret” campaign with an event in New York’s Times Square that lets women text-message and broadcast in real-time on the Times Square Reuters and NASDAQ screens.
The multichannel campaign features television spots, outdoor ads, anniversary packaging and a campaign Web site — all centered around Secret’s 50-year history of catering to women. It asks women to share their secrets with Secret and the world.
“We’re really celebrating strong women,” said Michelle Vaeth, a P&G spokeswoman. “The brand stands for feminine strength…it takes a lot of strength to share secrets.”
The campaign has already seen overwhelming response. Before the launch, more than 1,700 secrets had already been posted at Share Your Secret , a site that displays and stores secrets. People only give a first name.
Today’s event also features “decade girls” — women dressed for each decade that Secret deodorant has been available. Chicago-based ad agency Leo Burnett worked on the campaign while Dallas interactive agency IMC2 collaborated on the site.
Consumer secrets are featured in all the creative for the campaign, including more than 10 national TV ads produced by movie and TV director Jessica Yu, an Academy Award winner in the documentary field. The submissions are screened only for their use of obscenities or obvious spam. Some entries may be controversial.
“We fully expect that these secrets will run the gamut,” Ms. Vaeth said. “It’s really about real women.”
