TAXI DELIVERS KNOCKOUT PUNCH - Strategy

aoy gold
TAXI • PALADIN LABS
32 STRATEGY November 2008
www.strategymag.com
For years, the morning after pill has been an important
but underused emergency contraception (EC) option
to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Research showed that
while 85% of women were aware of EC and 70% have
had unprotected sex, only 30% take action to obtain
EC. Taxi set out to make young women aware of Paladin
Labs’ Plan B product, its accessibility and the role it
could play in their lives.
The unique viewpoint of the target audience was Taxi’s
source of insight. A young, sexually active woman in her
early 20s, she grew up surrounded by an open attitude
towards sex, and has been socialized to believe that
there is a way out of just about anything. This led Taxi
directly to the core campaign idea: “oops” happens, and
when it does, there’s Plan B.
The creative format was “The___Pill,” leaving space
for women to fi ll in the blank with their own sexual
“oops.” Women were targeted at bars, clubs, college and
university campuses and music festivals with posters,
backlits and even disposable underwear. Digital screens
let women share their oopses by text message, and
fi tting rooms in clothing stores featured boards with
fi ll-in-the-blank sticky notes. The risky sex lines they
submitted were compiled live and sent directly to a
microsite, shareyouroops.ca, where users could share
and vote on submissions.
In just six months, sales increased by 19%,
complemented by a 59% increase in unaided
awareness for Plan B. The target group got involved:
7,358 lines were generated and shared, over 40,000
votes were cast and 28% of all visitors to the website
clicked through to planb.ca for more information.