Vanish: "SPONSOR THE WHITE HOUSE [video]" TV Commercial by Euro Rscg Australia

Type of entry: Use of Promo & Activation
Category: Best Sponsorship or Partnership Campaigns
Advertiser: RECKITT BENCKISER
Product/Service: VANISH NAPISAN CRYSTAL WHITE
Agency: EURO RSCG AUSTRALIA Sydney, AUSTRALIA
Advertiser RECKITT BENCKISER
Product VANISH NAPISAN CRYSTAL WHITE
Entrant EURO RSCG AUSTRALIA Sydney, AUSTRALIA
Type of Entry: Use of Promo & Activation
Category: Best Sponsorship or Partnership Campaigns
Title: SPONSOR THE WHITE HOUSE
Advertiser/Client: RECKITT BENCKISER
Product/Service: VANISH NAPISAN CRYSTAL WHITE
Entrant Company: EURO RSCG AUSTRALIA Sydney, AUSTRALIA
DM/Advertising Agency: EURO RSCG AUSTRALIA Sydney, AUSTRALIA
Executive Creative Director: Steve Coll (Euro RSCG Australia)
Agency Account Directors: Holly Ripper (Group Account Director)/Josh Sandford (Senior Account Manager) (Euro RSCG Australia)
Creative Team: Peter Maniaty/Scott Sparks/Gavin Maloney (Euro RSCG Australia)
Head Of Tv: Monique Pardavi (Euro RSCG Australia)
Tv/Online Producer: Amy Friend (Euro RSCG Australia)
Tv Editor: Beau Simmons (Euro RSCG Australia)
General Manager: James Wright (Red Agency)
Account Manager: Elizabeth Mckenzie (Red Agency)
Account Executive: Natasha Carroll (Red Agency)
Director: Dan Reisinger (Window Productions)
Producers: Nick Simkins/Jenny Webb (Window Productions)
Sound Designer: Anthony Smith (Sandcastle Studios))
Sound Designer: Alex Mills (Song Zu)
Pr Us: (Us Activity Supported By Grayling Washington Dc And Cake/Workman Ent)
Post Production Producer: Sarah Brown (Cutting Edge)
Online: Heather Gavin (Cutting Edge)
Field Producer: Brian Hegedus (Window Productions)
Sound Producer: Larissa Coupe (Song Zu)
Client: Jennifer Osborne (Reckitt Benckiser)
Client: Chris Tedesco (Reckitt Benckiser)
Describe the brief from the client
In Australia’s cluttered and largely generic fabric care market, we wanted Vanish Napisan to be famous for making white clothes white.


Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective.

At the height of the US Debt Crisis, we wrote to every member of Congress offering to sponsor the White House for $25 million and simultaneously released a YouTube pitch to President Obama. Then we sent our brand ambassador, Adam Whittaker, to Washington DC. With the help of a US lobby firm, we pitched to Congressmen, Senators, everyday Americans and even the Secret Service, posting updates and films for our Facebook audience along the way. This generated global media interest. And, when Obama inevitably said "no", we used the publicity to launch our real campaign - an Australia-wide consumer promotion to sponsor a real Aussie family's 'white house'.


Describe the results in as much detail as possible.

Generated 15 times more media coverage than any previous Vanish Napisan campaign
PR reach of 11 million people in Australia alone
93% penetration of "whiter whites" message
150 minutes of earned media in Australia
Featured in every major Australian newspaper
Secured two 6-minute segments on national US television
Social media reach of 600,000+


We knew a cheeky promotional campaign would deliver massive standout in a category that is, traditionally, very conservative. Through a potent mix of PR, radio, television, ambient, live appearances, online films and social media it captured the Australian public’s imagination, and provided the perfect platform for a major consumer promotion.