STILL GOING STRONG

Short List
TitleSTILL GOING STRONG
BrandBOEHRINGER INGELHEIM
Product / ServiceMETACAM
CategoryC01. Health & Wellness: Animal Health
EntrantOGILVY COMMONHEALTH AUSTRALIA Sydney, AUSTRALIA
Idea Creation OGILVY COMMONHEALTH AUSTRALIA Sydney, AUSTRALIA

Credits

Name Company Position
Michael Zivkovic Ogilvy CommonHealth Senior Art Director
Helene Mann Ogilvy CommonHealth Copywriter
David Bailey Ogilvy CommonHealth Account Director
Sinead Bushell Ogilvy CommonHealth Account Manager
Max Tompo International Rescue Ilustrator
Toby Pickford Ogilvy CommonHealth Creative Director
Anita Xhafer Xhafer Grafix Illustrator
Alison Barker Boehringer Ingelhiem Marketing Manager

The Campaign

To breathe life into Metacam, a relatively old product, we needed to show it still has what it takes to keep cats and dogs with arthritis enjoying life and give it some star status. We took inspiration from musical artists who have not let age define them and who are still energetic and full of life. The ageing rocker who’s still touring, Keith Richards; the diva who consistently amazes with her ability to compete with younger artists, Madonna; and the country star whose bubbly personality belies her years, Dolly Parton. Each has a distinctive identity, unique features that could subtly identify them but who all had the same thing in common. They’re still going strong. The characters were created piece by piece with still photography, library shots and digital painting – each having some unique characteristics of our ageing stars along with Metacam’s distinctive colour.

Creative Execution

Stage one – clinic executions: • Clinic posters Each star had there own headline. These are double sided with arthritis sign watch outs for pet owners • Direct mailers In the style of a vinyl single. The single is a product order form and has a competition component • Tote bags Specially designed bags that held posters, owner brochure stand, arthritis trackers and t-shirts. Stage two – owner awareness: • Web app Research indicated a high level of sharing of pets online. So a web app has been developed where owners can learn about pet arthritis and also choose to create their own pet star. Using our three characters they can upload their pet pic and have it rock out, move with the groove or jiggle to country music. Apart from leveraging existing facebook audiences, this is being driven via online e-newsletters, key account social media pages and a healthy hearts for dogs facebook page.

With the campaign having just launched in February 2016, it’s too early to see its final effect on sales however New Zealand sales were up 14.6% over the previous month and they have seen a 21% increase over the previous year. Feedback so far has been positive from a team who has desperately needed something new to get tongues and tails wagging again when Metacam is mentioned. “With so many generics on the market, we needed to jolt vets out of their meloxicam apathy – this is certainly a different direction for the brand.” Alison Barker – Product & Marketing Operations Manager, BI Animal Health “What a breath of fresh air! Love the old rocker connection! Hilarious.” Nicola Mann – Senior Territory Sales Manager, BI Animal Health “I love our 2 new characters Keith and Madonna!” Hannah Ryan – Territory Sales Manager, BI Animal Health

Raising awareness of pet arthritis and re-establishing Metacam as no.1 choice for vets needed multiple touch points. Clinic posters, vet direct mail, rep collateral plus a web application to drive arthritis awareness, identification and eventually a treatment outcome, all added up to an integrated approach.

In order to defend Metacam from generic threat and encourage growth, we needed to: • Surprise vets with new imagery that was different and push the boundaries – the campaign needed to stand out from the typical portrayal of negative images of pets struggling with mobility and become aspirational • Give reps a fresh approach to discuss Metacam with vets who have meloxicam (Metacam) apathy • After initial veterinary launch, find ways to reach owners with an educational message about pets and arthritis so they would seek out their vet for advice

Links

Website URL