Our BIC 4 Colour “Champenships” campaign tackled a rare marketing dilemma: the product’s biggest benefit was also its biggest business problem. The BIC 4 Colour Pen lasts an incredibly long time, which meant loyal owners simply didn’t need to buy new ones. Rather than promote durability, our challenge was to encourage people to use their pens more often - to literally use them up.

So we reframed the pen entirely. Instead of a stationery item, we turned it into sports equipment. The BIC 4 Colour Champenships introduced 14 newly invented pen‑based sports, from Clicky‑Clicky Fast Pen and Rhythmic Penastics to Pen Pong, Bic Bocce and Ice Pen Skating. Each event could only be entered with a BIC 4 Colour, transforming everyday clicking and drawing into competitive, ink‑draining athleticism.

To bring the tournament to life, the entire competition was hosted live on Facebook. Participants submitted entry videos, delivered commentary and tuned in to five hours of Penathon entertainment. By making pen use a spectator sport, we unlocked huge engagement: 549,000 competitors, 1.8 million viewers and 34% sales growth. Instead of advertising how long the pen lasts, we created a cultural event that gave people a reason to finally use theirs up - turning a product challenge into an advantage.