Nestlé Fitness is sponsoring a new Greek breast cancer awareness initiative revolving around the world’s first tweeting bra.
The campaign revolves around a unique, socially connected bra (complete with bespoke twitter logo jewellery crafted by Maroula Mavrogiannopoulou).
The bra has a low-voltage Bluetooth device sewn into the back of the bra clasp, each time the wearer (or whoever) unhooks the bra the device detects the action and sends a message to a mobile which is programmed to automatically post a tweet through the account @tweetingbra.
The tweet reminds women to do their regular breast self-exams.
The campaign Twitter account, which has 3,000 followers and has tweeted 117 times to date, has a stream that, somewhat inevitably, is filled with follower post puns.
The two-week campaign is fronted by Greek TV presenter Maria Bakodimou – who wore the bra for 14 days to promote the health initiative.
Bakodimou also fronts the OgilvyOne Athens created 55-second campaign TV spot (which has more than 500,000 YouTube views to date).
The awareness campaign certainly gained quick traction. Within three days of the video being posted on YouTube it had racked up 75,000 hits.
In addition to the spot, webfilm, Twitter feed and PR strand, the campaign also has a dedicated website (www.tweetingbra.gr) which includes factual tips on how to perform self-examinations.
Comment
There is no doubt that the so called ‘Internet Of Things’ is fast becoming a reality and we are well down the road with wearable technology.
Some futurists even claim that one day will everything be connected to the net.
Indeed, back in 2010 artist Imogen Heap wore a socially connected dress to the 52nd Grammy Awards when she accepted the Best Engineered Album (Non-Classical) award which showed fan Twitter photos. See YouTube film.
Brands were quick to leverage the trend and in 2011 Microsoft made a similar outfit using a corset keyboard to project tweets on the transparent white skit.
In 2012 former Pussycat Dolls and X Factor judge Nicole Scherzinger wore a Twitter dress at the launch of EE’s 4G network.
Of course, there is little doubt that at the moment such stunts are something of a branded gimmick.
But this is also an effective away of generated cause-led media coverage for the brand’s CSR strand.
The Nestlé Fitness extension, which focuses on cereals and cereal bars targeting women attempting to lose weight claims that encouraging women to perform regular breast cancer self-examinations is a key strand of its cause programme.
Indeed, the brand website prominently includes the copy: ‘We do care about your shape. But your health is even more important to us.’
Its homepage says that Nestlé Fitness ‘supports the fight against breast cancer every year’ and it promotes Breast Cancer Awareness Day.
Nevertheless, be warned, even good cause initiatives can be subject to criticism.
Indeed, several recent brand-fronted breast cancer awareness have been criticised recently for capitalising on the suffering of breast cancer patients to market their products and have been termed by some as ‘Pinkwashing’.
Links
Tweeting Bra Website
Tweeting Bra YouTube Film
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1hSNg37K38
Tweeting Bra Twitter
www.twitter.com/tweetingbra
Nestle Fitness Greece Twitter
https://twitter.com/NestleFitnessGR
Nestle Fitness Greece Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/NestleFitness.GR
