SINGAPORE — Colgate-Palmolive, along with global brand and customer experience agency VMLY&R, is moving the dial for sustainability in Southeast Asia thanks to a series of campaigns on Shopee.
The latest in a range of sustainability-driven campaigns from Colgate, and part of the brand’s overarching Smiling Planet campaign, VMLY&R worked closely with the brand to create several regional campaigns that would help consumers make a difference by choosing Colgate Palmolive’s products.
Running from the end of October to early November 2023 across different days in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, and Taiwan, the campaigns saw Colgate offering shoppers highly attractive discounts on its range of recyclable and sustainable oral, personal, and home products.
As an added incentive for conscientious shoppers, the brand also donated a portion of each sale to WWF-Singapore (World Wide Fund for Nature) Singapore‘s Eco-Schools Programme, which empowers students to become changemakers, by engaging them in student-led sustainability initiatives within campuses.
Thanks to Colgate’s commitment to eliminating plastic waste by 2025, more than 83% of the brand’s packaging by weight is now recyclable due to innovations like its first-of-a-kind HPDE recyclable toothpaste tube. Similarly, many other Colgate products are now made from recycled materials, using much less plastic than traditional packaging.
Colgate saw a strong uptick in sales across the region, with some markets reporting as high as 1700% jump in sales compared to regular business days. 67% of total buyers were also first-time buyers, indicating a strong appetite for Colgate Palmolive’s sustainable products.
“Being a force for good is a key part of Colgate-Palmolive’s DNA, from their recyclable (toothpaste) tube to their commitment to driving social impact, preserving the natural environment, and empowering communities to live brighter, healthier futures, said Alex Tan, Commerce Director at VMLY&R Singapore.
“We know that consumers care about their environment, but often feel helpless to make an impact. Through Colgate’s Shopee Super Brand Day campaign consumers were empowered to make a sustainable choice whilst contributing to creating a greener future by supporting WWF’s important youth programme, and the results for Colgate speak for themselves.”
M. Chandrasekar, SVP Customer Development, Colgate-Palmolive APAC, added, “Change always begins with a small act. Our small act was to make recyclable tubes a reality and a small act for consumers could be discarding recycling tubes and sustainable packaging in the right spaces or bin, in accordance with the local regulations. Working with VMLY&R, we are able to make these small acts slightly bigger. Just by taking the small act of choosing to purchase Colgate-Palmolive sustainable products, consumers know that a portion of their purchase goes towards important educational projects that impact their environment and their future, showing that together, even small acts like this can make a big difference.”
