2023 Winner
BronzeBest in Experiential/Stunts - Budget Under $100,000
Jamp Pharma (Valda)
"Heavy Metal Subway"
Havas
"Heavy Metal Subway"
Havas
Valda is an iconic French brand that launched at the turn of the 20th century with their hero product – lozenges. After more than a century of success worldwide, Valda was struggling in Quebec, where fierce competition in the category was making it hard to stand out against competitors. Their objective was to find a bold, impactful and meaningful way to drive awareness and brand affinity without cannibalizing the product – all within a minimal budget of $5,000.
The pandemic has completely altered self-awareness in public, especially when you might be sick. The slightest cough can leave you all alone in a subway car and most people continue to wear a mask to avoid getting sick. When the first signs appear, they do everything they can to avoid appearing sick and seek out remedies immediately. As a result, the category has become exceptionally competitive. To stand out, Valda’s heritage and iconic packaging needed a reintroduction, especially to younger Canadians who weren’t as familiar with the brand.
The agency partnered with the only heavy metal choir in Canada – the Growler Choir – and created an advertising jingle that dramatized the feeling of being sick and being in public. To bring the jingle to life, they brought the Growler Choir to one of the most feared places during the pandemic – the metro – and got them to perform it live for commuters. The stunt and the natural, authentic reactions of Montreal metro riders was captured as branded content for the campaign film.
To leverage the unique and creative branded content and create authentic connections with their target audience, they knew they needed to find the right context for them to experience Valda in a way that they had not done previously. Given the minimal budget and the nature of the branded content that they had captured, a strategic choice was made to go with a single platform approach. TikTok was chosen due to its high affinity with both young Millennial and Gen Z Quebecois but also older Millennials and Gen X. It was also the platform where the creativity of the campaign film would be able to shine.
The campaign was brought to life by launching the 30-second video and integrating an interactive unit on TikTok: the SuperLike 2.0 feature. Once consumers clicked the “Superlike’ feature, they were taken to the Valda website, where the full video was available to watch, and the products were available for direct purchase.
Their collaboration with the world’s only heavy-metal choir – The Growler Choir – was the first, one-of-its campaign that Quebec had ever seen, and the unique combination the musical genre with a catchy jingle created impactful brand content. It was testament to what can be achieved with a small media budget when you have a deep understanding of your audience and what it takes to create meaningful connection with them.
Valda's campaign went viral across Quebec. With earned media across TV with TVA Salut Boujour (+1M viewers), on Radio with Première Chaîne Le 15 -18 (+81K listeners) and online with MTL Blog (+215K viewers), Radio-Canada Ohdio (+1,3M viewers), Grenier aux nouvelles (+12K viewers), Lien Multimédia (+95K viewers), and Le Sac de Chips (+183K viewers).
This incremental reach helped to increase brand awareness and visibility, driving a significant amount of purchase intent YoY. The campaign drove a 94% direct sales uplift in the month of December vs. Previous year – the best since the brand's first radio campaign nearly a decade ago. Looking at sales from three pharmacy chains and Amazon they saw a sales lift of +88% in December 2022 compared to December 2021 and a 63% sales lift versus the previous comparative year. The campaign also achieved 67% lower-than-benchmark CPCV.
The pandemic has completely altered self-awareness in public, especially when you might be sick. The slightest cough can leave you all alone in a subway car and most people continue to wear a mask to avoid getting sick. When the first signs appear, they do everything they can to avoid appearing sick and seek out remedies immediately. As a result, the category has become exceptionally competitive. To stand out, Valda’s heritage and iconic packaging needed a reintroduction, especially to younger Canadians who weren’t as familiar with the brand.
The agency partnered with the only heavy metal choir in Canada – the Growler Choir – and created an advertising jingle that dramatized the feeling of being sick and being in public. To bring the jingle to life, they brought the Growler Choir to one of the most feared places during the pandemic – the metro – and got them to perform it live for commuters. The stunt and the natural, authentic reactions of Montreal metro riders was captured as branded content for the campaign film.
To leverage the unique and creative branded content and create authentic connections with their target audience, they knew they needed to find the right context for them to experience Valda in a way that they had not done previously. Given the minimal budget and the nature of the branded content that they had captured, a strategic choice was made to go with a single platform approach. TikTok was chosen due to its high affinity with both young Millennial and Gen Z Quebecois but also older Millennials and Gen X. It was also the platform where the creativity of the campaign film would be able to shine.
The campaign was brought to life by launching the 30-second video and integrating an interactive unit on TikTok: the SuperLike 2.0 feature. Once consumers clicked the “Superlike’ feature, they were taken to the Valda website, where the full video was available to watch, and the products were available for direct purchase.
Their collaboration with the world’s only heavy-metal choir – The Growler Choir – was the first, one-of-its campaign that Quebec had ever seen, and the unique combination the musical genre with a catchy jingle created impactful brand content. It was testament to what can be achieved with a small media budget when you have a deep understanding of your audience and what it takes to create meaningful connection with them.
Valda's campaign went viral across Quebec. With earned media across TV with TVA Salut Boujour (+1M viewers), on Radio with Première Chaîne Le 15 -18 (+81K listeners) and online with MTL Blog (+215K viewers), Radio-Canada Ohdio (+1,3M viewers), Grenier aux nouvelles (+12K viewers), Lien Multimédia (+95K viewers), and Le Sac de Chips (+183K viewers).
This incremental reach helped to increase brand awareness and visibility, driving a significant amount of purchase intent YoY. The campaign drove a 94% direct sales uplift in the month of December vs. Previous year – the best since the brand's first radio campaign nearly a decade ago. Looking at sales from three pharmacy chains and Amazon they saw a sales lift of +88% in December 2022 compared to December 2021 and a 63% sales lift versus the previous comparative year. The campaign also achieved 67% lower-than-benchmark CPCV.
Credits
Havas Media:Cristina Venezia, Group Account Director
Vittoria Fillato, SR Specialist Social
Quitterie Mamin, SR Planner
CLIENT : JAMP Pharma - Guylaine Thériault Rehel, directrice du marketing, Marie-Charlotte Richert, chef de marque
AGENCY: Havas Montréal
ACCOUNT: Annie Alix Paré, Natacha Nasset
CREATIVE: Carle Coppens, Hugo Morin, Félix-Antoine Brunet, Olivier Goulet-Lafond, Mario Laberge
STRATEGY: John Pankert et Kate Gaudreault
CREATIVE INFLUX: Vanessa Harbec, Preto Murara
MOTION DESIGN: Vincent Franco
GRAPHIC DESIGN: Benjamin Trottier
MUSICAL ARRANGEMENTS: Pierre-Luc Senécal, Growlers Choir
DIRECTION AND PRODUCTION: Content Content
PRODUCER: Anick Rozon
MUSIC AND AUDIO POST-PRODUCTION: Circonflex – Pierre-Hugues Rondeau