Philips: “Pre-testing helped us polish our campaign to perfection.”

Background

Founded in 1891 in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, Philips has grown into a global leader in health technology, focused on improving lives through meaningful innovation. In 2000, Philips made a smart move by acquiring Optiva Corporation, the company behind Sonicare electric toothbrushes.  

This decision has paid off well – Philips Sonicare now holds approximately 28% of the global market, establishing itself as a leader in oral health care.

Pain Point

Managing a well-known sub-brand like Philips Sonicare comes with real challenges.

Philips knew that to maintain the brand's reputation and effectively communicate Philips Sonicare's value, they needed to test their advertising campaigns at every stage of development.

To help with this, they partnered with Behavio.

Behavio's Insight

Behavio tested everything from start to finish – from early animatics to polished pre-final cuts.

Testing revealed that ads often contain specific moments that can unexpectedly reduce their effectiveness. By spotting these issues early in the development phase, Behavio helped Philips avoid wasting money on elements that wouldn't work (like unlikable characters or weak branding moments).

Through this thorough testing process, Behavio helped strengthen the campaign's key elements, ensuring strong branding from the beginning while fine-tuning specific parts to better connect with viewers.

Outcome

A follow-up post-test confirmed the entire process was worth it.  

The resulting ad campaign boosted the brand's salience by 12 points and strengthened the connection between Philips Sonicare and its core message ("helps remove up to 20 times more plaque") by 11 points – both impressive results!

Working together, Philips and Behavio created a campaign that was both impactful and engaging. By continuously refining the ad based on real testing insights, they maximized its impact even before launch.