BIG SIS CHATBOT BY SPRINGSTER

CASE STUDY SUMMARY:

Context:

In 2018, Springster had an average of one million users across the globe visiting its site every month and asking questions about diverse topics ranging from sexual health to economic empowerment. Springster couldn’t offer to its one million users a one-to-one personalised conversation with a human moderator. So we turned to new developments in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and chat applications to develop a chatbot prototype that would enable Springster to have conversations with girls at scale. Our first task was to identify the role that a chatbot could play in a girl’s life.

Problem:

Our research showed that when it came to sexual health questions, girls were often shamed by other girls when asking questions publicly. Even using a pseudonym on our Springster website, some questions were deemed too controversial to be discussed openly online. Girls unanimously reported struggling with the social stigma attached to these topics. They felt they couldn’t turn to their relatives or to their peers without facing moral judgement. They shared often having complex relationships with their peers, not fully trusting them and being scared to be gossiped about. And even amongst the girls who had friends they trusted, they felt the advice given was often incomplete or incorrect. 

Strategy & Creative work:

Create a chatbot that answers teenage girls’ most pressing sexual-health questions—in total privacy and without judgement—24/7, from South Africa to the Philippines.

Our research showed that confidentiality and factual accuracy weren’t enough: trust was the real key. Girls needed a voice they could relate to before opening up about intimate topics like sexuality. That insight gave birth to Big Sis: more than an information source, she embodies a warm, approachable “big sister.” Big Sis quickly became a bold alternative to traditional NGO chatbots. Designed to bust myths about sex, contraception and relationships, she goes beyond dispensing advice—she starts a fun, intimate conversation girls can truly trust.

Link to Big Sis on Messenger or WhatsApp: +27 60 074 78 37.

Results:

• In 4 weeks, 85k girls clicked on our Facebook ads to start a chat with Big Sis. (Equated to a 5% CTR, which was 2X higher than our usual campaign average CTR).

• 4k unique users interacted with Big Sis. (This equated to a 4% ad-to-bot conversion rate, which was low and became the focus of our next optimization phase)

• Up to 90% of girls who started chatting with Big Sis about a topic completed that topic before ending their session.

• 82% of girls surveyed would recommend Big Sis to a friend.

• 36% of girls improved their understanding of topics after reading content (based on pre-post quiz results).

• “ I love her because she tells the truth and also helps those like me who lack information about protecting ourselves from sex.” Girl, South Africa

• In 9 months, we proved the concept that a chatbot, available on a social chat platform, was an effective channel for delivering sensitive SRH advice to girls at scale. (Springster internal testing report, 2018).

Note:

• I was Brand Director for Springster at Girl Effect and worked with a team of Content, UX, Gender and M&E specialists.

• Due to a limited budget, we only launched a prototype to ‘prove concept’ and attract funding.