When Glade was getting ready to launch a new product line in Saudi Arabia, they wanted to make sure everything, from the product itself to the marketing, respected local cultural norms. Working with their creative agency, Ogilvy, Glade reached out to Snap to see how they could use augmented reality (AR) to connect directly with women in Saudi Arabia. But they hit a snag.

Snap’s AR technology needed to see the eyes, nose, and mouth to work, which meant it didn’t recognize women wearing veils.

So, Glade, Ogilvy, and Snap teamed up to fix this. They developed a new way for the AR tech to work by just recognizing the eyes. This meant women wearing veils could still experience the AR features, which brought the floral scents of Glade’s new product to life with just a blink. During the launch, messages written in Arabic appeared in the skies above Jeddah and Riyadh, reflecting the community’s hopes and dreams gathered during Glade’s research.

They launched this “Veiled Snapchat” on International Women’s Day, and it turned out to be a huge success. It drove the highest engagement for Glade in the region and boosted sales, proving that focusing on the consumer really pays off.

RESULTS:

• 2x share rate vs. regional norms

• 149% index in portfolio sales vs. brand target

• 1 Cannes Lion