2022 Winner
BronzeBest in Pharma
Advil
"#AfterMyShot"
Zenith
"#AfterMyShot"
Zenith
At the onset of COVID in 2020, Advil suffered a major setback with false news due to negative (and incorrect) reporting surrounding ibuprofen and Covid-19. It lost its leadership position in the category to Tylenol trailing with a 25 pt share gap. The challenge was to build relevance and re-build the consumer sentiment of Advil as the most effective and safe option for pain relief medication.
Advil is a brand that encourages Canadians to “reclaim life’s possibilities.” The last couple of years have been challenging due to COVID-19 and there wasn’t much to be optimistic about. By spring 2021, the government had approved Covid vaccines for adults. Advil identified this moment and realized that it was an opportunity to connect with consumers in a meaningful way, where the brand purpose and tonality resonated in the most authentic way possible. It was the right medication to help people return to “normal” life after their shot.
The insight was that people were longing for live music and the return to live events. And so, Advil developed “#AfterMyShot Sessions.” It was built around a collection of videos that showcased performances and interviews with five iconic Canadian entertainers, including musicians The Strumbellas, Donovan Woods, and Tome; drag queen Miss Moco and comedian Richardson Zephir.
The task for media was how could Advil insert itself into these moments and empower life returning to normal #AfterMyShot, all while driving awareness and building confidence with Canadians that Advil is safe and effective to use post-vaccine?
A multi-media campaign was planned for and executed that allowed Advil to build strong relevance and maximize impact. Long and short form content co-created with the artists was amplified on social media and OLV by targeting users based on interest (music, comedy, lifestyle etc.) and behavior (attend live events). It helped marry the strength of the content and the platform.
A two-pronged approach was deployed to deliver precise targeting. Based on proximity, OOH ads were shown to people with devices in the radius of 3KM (of vaccination centers & pharmacies) to drive scale. People “Just Vaccinated” were reached based on recent location (last 24hr) at vaccination clinics or pharmacies approved for vaccination.
A mix of sponsorship (audio script read out by the podcaster) and traditional audio spots helped drive the message on top entertainment, lifestyle, finance and history podcasts.
Branded displays depicting a patient getting vaccinated were deployed to target high affinity segments in contextually relevant environments.
Results for Q2-Q4 2021 were up +0.9pts in dollar share, resulting in +14.6% growth. Brand desire scores rose to +1.4 vs YA, a 0.5pt gain on the competition. Advil started to close the penetration gap to competition, across all demos, continuing to lead in penetration amongst their core “under 55” demographic. Social media videos delivered an all-time high engagement rate for the brand, 3X brand norm (16% 3s views vs 5%).
With this campaign, Advil was able to create a model for identifying and leveraging relevant cultural moments and has built learnings that will bring in efficiency in execution for any
similar campaigns in future.
Advil is a brand that encourages Canadians to “reclaim life’s possibilities.” The last couple of years have been challenging due to COVID-19 and there wasn’t much to be optimistic about. By spring 2021, the government had approved Covid vaccines for adults. Advil identified this moment and realized that it was an opportunity to connect with consumers in a meaningful way, where the brand purpose and tonality resonated in the most authentic way possible. It was the right medication to help people return to “normal” life after their shot.
The insight was that people were longing for live music and the return to live events. And so, Advil developed “#AfterMyShot Sessions.” It was built around a collection of videos that showcased performances and interviews with five iconic Canadian entertainers, including musicians The Strumbellas, Donovan Woods, and Tome; drag queen Miss Moco and comedian Richardson Zephir.
The task for media was how could Advil insert itself into these moments and empower life returning to normal #AfterMyShot, all while driving awareness and building confidence with Canadians that Advil is safe and effective to use post-vaccine?
A multi-media campaign was planned for and executed that allowed Advil to build strong relevance and maximize impact. Long and short form content co-created with the artists was amplified on social media and OLV by targeting users based on interest (music, comedy, lifestyle etc.) and behavior (attend live events). It helped marry the strength of the content and the platform.
A two-pronged approach was deployed to deliver precise targeting. Based on proximity, OOH ads were shown to people with devices in the radius of 3KM (of vaccination centers & pharmacies) to drive scale. People “Just Vaccinated” were reached based on recent location (last 24hr) at vaccination clinics or pharmacies approved for vaccination.
A mix of sponsorship (audio script read out by the podcaster) and traditional audio spots helped drive the message on top entertainment, lifestyle, finance and history podcasts.
Branded displays depicting a patient getting vaccinated were deployed to target high affinity segments in contextually relevant environments.
Results for Q2-Q4 2021 were up +0.9pts in dollar share, resulting in +14.6% growth. Brand desire scores rose to +1.4 vs YA, a 0.5pt gain on the competition. Advil started to close the penetration gap to competition, across all demos, continuing to lead in penetration amongst their core “under 55” demographic. Social media videos delivered an all-time high engagement rate for the brand, 3X brand norm (16% 3s views vs 5%).
With this campaign, Advil was able to create a model for identifying and leveraging relevant cultural moments and has built learnings that will bring in efficiency in execution for any
similar campaigns in future.
Credits
Media Agency:Nicole Macpherson: VP, Planning
Nikunj Mahajan: Director, Planning
Michael Nathai: Senior Planner
Shiksha Verman: Senior Specialist, Social
Uriri Onoyovwi: Social Media Specialist
Daniela Savona Machado
Jeff Leeming
Trevor Nichols
Anthony Riccio
Bilal Bhaila
Sara Rezaee
Kelly Wighton
Catherine Santos