TAXI DELIVERS KNOCKOUT PUNCH - Strategy

ZIG • MR. SUB
Mr. Sub suffered from lagging quality perceptions – stale bread, limited toppings and poor selection
– that had nothing to do with reality. And as a small Canadian player in the quick-service sandwich
category, its media budget was consistently dwarfed by large competitors like Subway. So how to dispel
product misconceptions while getting noticed on a limited budget?
An audit of youth culture suggested that the young male target was tired of high-gloss advertising from
large, sterile multinational corporations. They identifi ed with brands that were raw, real and courageous.
In-store interviews, designed to better understand why some people already liked Mr. Sub, found that
the same qualities were in fact embedded in the brand. Mr. Sub’s less-than-glossy image was a large part
of the reason why some people preferred it to the competition.
A targeted television campaign was designed to tackle quality issues head on. Three spots were created
– “Granny,” “Nurse” and “Missionaries” – depicting good people doing bad things for a Mr. Sub sandwich.
The tongue-in-cheek approach tapped into Mr. Sub’s brand DNA while delivering the necessary facts.
Business results far exceeded expectations, with comparable store sales up signifi cantly since the
launch of the campaign.
PFIZER
Public perception was that all drug companies put profi ts before people. To confront this issue and earn
the trust of consumers, Pfi zer needed to dispel the myth with a message that was genuine.
Zig and Pfi zer broached the touchy subject of the declining Canadian healthcare system, with its
increasing wait times, shorter appointments and time pressure on doctors and patients. This has
saddled patients with control of their own medical care at a time when they are feeling scared, confused
and vulnerable. By recognizing this fear and stating overtly that medicine isn’t always the answer, Pfi zer
sought to put people’s health fi rst.
An integrated campaign focused on health and prevention over drugs. Using the emotional power
of the subject matter, each element of the campaign worked together. TV and print suggested a more
informed, balanced approach to life and health, while a viral video focused on an intimate human story.
Each message drove people to morethanmedication.ca, where they would fi nd helpful information and
tools to help take control of their health.
Early measures show that public trust is building, and that those who have seen the advertising have
a signifi cantly more favourable opinion of Pfi zer – now the best-known pharmaco in Canada at 26% (up
from 19%) unaided awareness.
IKEA CANADA
Even regular shoppers didn’t have a clue that Ikea sold mattresses. And while low prices were usually
an advantage, in this case they were proving to be a liability: used to seeing similar mattresses with a
$1,000 price tag, consumers were often suspicious of the quality of Ikea mattresses.
Zig gave consumers a simple equation to connect Ikea to mattresses. While the competition was busy
talking about features like memory foam and independent coils, Ikea would own the easy-to-remember
high ground: few things have the ability to affect your mood and productivity more than a lack of sleep.
Each element of the multimedia campaign had a specifi c job to do. Television achieved mass
awareness, while a guerrilla campaign generated talk-value and PR. Radio drove traffi c to the store with
an offer, and a microsite used the famous Ikea radio voice as a “sleep coach” to help consumers fi nd the
right mattress. Here, the quality issues were addressed head-on with product demonstrations.
In the fi rst week of the campaign, Ikea sold more than double the number of mattresses and box
springs it sold in the same month the year before. Elements of the campaign were also recognized with a
gold Radio Lion at Cannes and a Webby award.
STRATEGY November 2008 53