Reckitt Benckiser and Lippe Taylor
#BeatTheZombieFunk Dance Challenge
As Reckitt Benckiser readied Mucinex Nightshift Cold & Flu for launch in October 2019 — the scariest season of all — it wanted to make the debut fun. And because it was eager to engage a younger audience, it summoned up some zombies to get the job done.
The zombie-themed integrated launch campaign kicked off with a robust, 360-degree activation that included TV ads, digital, public relations and plenty of social amplification. But to help the undead reach new audiences, it also partnered with TikTok — a first for an OTC brand — with a zombie challenge.
By playing with the relevance of the Halloween timeframe and using insights from TikTok, it created an easy-to-follow, engaging #TooSickToBeSick challenge. Thanks to Mucinex Nightshift, users transformed from “Too Sick” to “So Sick” — glammed out and Halloween-party ready.
In February of this year, it introduced the #BeatTheZombieFunk dance challenge. Building on its October success, it partnered with celebrity choreographers Allison Holker and Stephen “tWitch” Boss, who hoofed the program to a new level of sick. The pair shared their moves on TikTok and Instagram.
It also introduced a Mr. Mucus brand effect and hosted content on its TikTok channel to give users a comprehensive, in-platform brand experience.
The #BeatTheZombieFunk challenge became the highest-engaging activation for any brand on TikTok, generating more than five billion views. All told, the brand reached more than 53 million unique users, generating a 40% jump in consumption and a 7% gain in market share.
