Over four years, we transformed the launch of Dulux Colour of the Year from a single calendar moment to a year long activation, taking the brand to new spaces and driving purchase for each shade year on year.
Colour of the Year 2019: Spiced Honey
In our first year the campaign exploded out from a launch event, at London’s iconic Gherkin by strategically managing assets and adding more key dates to the calendar. Identifying an authentic and credible brand ambassador, in Fearne Cotton, to unlock opportunities in broadcast and national media. Ensuring the needs of all stakeholders are met, we hosted a Dulux owned thought leadership event at RIBA, positioning the brand as leaders in future proofing design. We smashed the results of the previous year and set the bar high.
Colour of the Year 2020: Tranquil Dawn
With product available from launch for the first time, we launched Tranquil Dawn with a bang with two consecutive central London events, talking to consumer and trade audiences respectively. Pitching directly to influencers at the break of embargo, to increase social reach from 500k to 4m YoY. While still bridging the gap between audiences, the creation of a decorator guide gave applier audiences a valuable tool to give confidence in recommending the colour to customers. In a first, we took colour of the year to Dulux HQ, inviting influencer talent to an exclusive immersive event with creative director Marianne Shillingford.Renewing our partnership with Fearne Cotton, we achieved improved results and devised creative ways to expand content onto social channels.
Colour of the Year 2021: Brave Ground
Launching in the midst of a pandemic, plans for our third colour of the year launch had to adapt rapidly to deliver in a newly remote world, a risk but also an opportunity. Live streaming the first virtual colour launch delivered triple attendees, across multiple audience groups. This approach delivered more conversation and search traffic than past launches and crucially, more than competitors launches in the same year. Expanding this relatable approach, content from ambassador Clara Amfo was captured remotely, and centred around zoom tutorials delivering more OTS in this campaign phase than the previous year.
Colour of the Year 2022: Bright Skies
Taking everything we’d trialed over the past three COTY campaigns, Bright Skies was launched with the biggest bang, through the most integrated activation to date. Offering a hybrid launch moment, tailored to a spectrum of attendees, through a record breaking video broadcast, in person media interviews and an evening event for specifier audiences. Alongside this, influencers were contracted under NDA, to deliver projects using Bright Skies, revealing real world application on the day of launch, supported by paid spend to amplify.
