TAXI DELIVERS KNOCKOUT PUNCH - Strategy

aoy silver
DIET 7-UP • BBDO • PARMALAT CANADA CANADA
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www.strategymag.com
Due to a consumer trend toward healthier lifestyles, the demand for foods
that provide demonstrated physiological benefi ts, or can reduce the risk
of chronic disease beyond basic nutritional functions, had increased.
Toronto-based Parmalat Canada wanted to leverage its Astro BioBest
yogurt, which was fi rst on the market with a key functional ingredient
– active probiotic cultures.
At the time of market launch, however, consumers had little knowledge
of probiotics. BBDO was tasked with educating people while adhering to
strict ASC guidelines limiting the direct explanation of health benefi ts.
Recent scientifi c research found that probiotic yogurt leads to increased
immunity and energy. In other words, being healthy is a feeling that starts
from the inside out. So BBDO illustrated how unhealthy consumers may
actually be on the inside. In three TV spots and a website, women were
portrayed as their 300-pound inner selves.
Each execution introduced a woman going about her everyday routine.
Whether walking up the stairs, running the kids out to the school
bus or wresting a shoe from the dog, her lack of energy and fi tness
was dramatized by a 300-pound man clothed in the same wardrobe,
labouring to complete the task. The spots ended with the question, “How
do you feel on the inside?” and drove viewers to feelgoodinside.ca.
The campaign was successful not only in terms of business results,
but also in identifying an effective way to work within an extremely tight
regulatory environment to get the message across.
While Diet 7-Up played in both the lemon-lime and the diet segment
of the carbonated soft drinks market, it had existed as a simple line
extension of the trademark. When total lemon-lime tonnage dropped by
3% in 2006, the team knew that the brand had to be properly positioned
in order to thrive.
The extremely well-served diet category presented its own challenges,
with every possible niche claim and perception already occupied. While it
couldn’t be marketed as better for you in the rational sense, it could break
through on an emotional level.
Research uncovered a host of factors affecting consumers’ attitudes
toward the category. Simply put, the daily demands of life were weighing
people down. BBDO repositioned Diet 7-Up as providing “moments of
lightness,” which spoke to the product’s truths as a sugar-, caffeine- and
calorie-free product delivering a simple, pleasurable sensory experience.
From this positioning, the agency developed “Diet 7-Up celebrates
people that lighten our lives.” Two TV executions showcased Emoticon
Susan and Elevator Small Talk Tony, who added fun and lightness to
everyday life. The TV buy focused on entertainment, movies and music to
reach consumers engaged in their own moments of lightness.
Within the fi rst month, tonnage share increased by 10% versus the four
weeks prior – the highest recorded for the brand since 2005. Over the
year, 7-Up trademark share increased by 6.8%, despite a 58% decline in
media spending overall. The work was also a winner on the awards circuit,
with a Silver Lion at Cannes.