Dove Men+Care has partnered with social TV check-in app Viggle on the initiative and will sponsor check-ins during the upcoming 2012 NCAA Men’s Division Basketball Tournament. The campaign is part of a larger campaign aimed at men 35-45 years old from the brand that also has a large focus on social media.

“Unilever forges partnerships and creates programming that reaches its consumer in places where he or she already seeks information and entertainment,” said Rob Candelino, vice president of brand building for Unilever Skincare, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.

“Since men are high users of social media, Dove Men+Care sees the value in leveraging mobile appls such as Viggle to reach consumers from another angle, grabbing the attention of men in surprising yet relatable ways,” he said.

Mobile sport
Viggle is a mobile app that lets consumers check-in to TV shows to earn points that can be used towards rewards including gift cards and tickets. The app uses audio recognition to recognize what a user is watching on TV, and it is available for iPhone devices.

Users who check-in to games during the NCAA Men’s Division Basketball Tournament will be directed to Dove Men+Care-sponsored landing page.

The creative for the ad lets consumers earn extra Viggle points for watching videos. The 30-second commercials feature basketball stars Shaquille O’Neal, Steve Nash and Tom Izzo.

Giving consumers an option to watch a video that is tied to an incentive is a great way for Unilever to bolster impressions and educate consumers about a campaign.

Additionally, the videos are exclusive to mobile and differ from spots that Dove Men+Care is running on TV. Using a mobile-specific piece of content entices users to interact with a brand while on their handsets and is a smart move from the company.

At the end of the videos, a mobile call-to-action prompts users to call **DOVEMEN from their mobile devices to watch additional videos. Once users call the phone number, they are sent a text message with a link to Dove Men+Care’s mobile site to watch the video clips.

Users will also be able to browse game stats and product information via the Dove Men+Care landing page. A link to Amazon’s mobile site will let users buy products directly from their mobile devices.

An initiative such as this from Unilever shows that mobile plays an integral role in the company’s consumer packaged goods brands. It is also an example of how consumers are willing to interact with advertising and content on their devices in exchange for a reward.

Digital approach
The “Journey to Comfort” campaign also includes a large emphasis on social media and Web.

Users can enter to win prizes on the company’s Web site at http://www.dovemencare.com.

Sports fans can “like” the Dove Men+Care Facebook page to access a campaign-specific app where they can sign-up to receive voicemail messages from Mr. O’Neal.

Additionally, the campaign is using Twitter to connect fans with the basketball stars throughout the tournament.

With a multichannel mobile strategy, the Dove Men+Care campaign is an example of how a brand can cultivate a relationship with consumers by using mobile initiatives such as check-ins.

Last year, Unilever began its multi-year partnership with the NCAA via an iAd campaign (see story).

“Consumers today are bombarded with a wide array of choices and mobile apps such as Viggle not only help to increase the visibility of Dove Men+Care and strengthen ties with consumers, but also direct them to online retailers like Amazon.com to purchase Dove Men+Care products,” Mr. Candelino said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is editorial assistant on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York