Why is this work relevant for Direct?

This work is relevant for multiple reasons. Our launch creative was launched directly to our target audience (the IVF community & patients) with a CTA for them to share it or order the book (see creative idea). Essentially this action turned them into one of our media channels. The campaign was structured in two ways, brand (prospecting) & category awareness and performance layers (conversion) to ultimately influence & drive bookings. This second layer was largely driven by performance & retargeting to carry our audience through the funnel to inevitably book a Genea consultation.

Background

Genea, a world-leading fertility clinic, saw their Australian market share slipping. Once an industry leader, their competitors’ share of voice had increased and relegated Genea to the middle of the pack. To make matters worse, IVF advertising in Australia is a sea of sameness with brands following the same category conventions. With brands and their marketing interchangeable in the minds of patients, media budgets play a huge factor in market share. Unfortunately, Genea’s media budget meant we couldn’t outshout our competition, so the only option was to outthink them and find a way to make Genea a market leader once again. Our brief and objectives covered four main points: Drive an increase in Genea consultations & web traffic Make Genea top of mind among the IVF audience Broaden awareness of the brand outside those currently thinking about fertility treatments (especially among a younger demographic) Reaffirm Genea as a market leader

Describe the creative idea (30% of vote)

When it comes to conception, society focuses on the natural sex between a man and a woman. Yet 1 in 20 children are conceived via IVF. But with a lack of public acknowledgment that this is a normal way to have a baby, people with fertility issues feel stigmatised and unable to talk about it. To make Genea top of mind among patients and drive action, we wanted to break this stigma. So we rewrote the story of ‘Where babies come from’ and made IVF as natural as sex. It launched with a playful, yet provocative social film and a children’s book that told our version of where babies come from. We released them directly to IVF patients with a CTA to take part in the campaign. Many felt empowered to break their silence for the first time. The story continued across patient touchpoints resulting in more patients booking consultations.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

Our core target audience is broad, anyone requiring a fertility specialist, with a focus on females 25-49. But it’s important Genea is inclusive for anyone needing fertility help — no matter age, gender, or sexual orientation. Our strategy was to engage the IVF community in our campaign, the social film and book were released to them first. From here the campaign used a large media mix. High impact video placements captured our audience within relevant & engaged environments, increasing overall brand & category awareness. Data gathering via our broad prospecting layer was then incorporated into performance & retargeting layers to efficiently & effectively drive our audience to inevitably book a consultation. Our CTA changed depending on the role of the communication. At an awareness level, it was to share our story and help remove IVF stigmas. In performance, the CTA was to book a consultation.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

When children ask, “where do babies come from?” society heavily focuses on natural conception. This leaves IVF children feeling stigmatised and different from everyone else. To change this, we released a children’s book, rewriting the story of conception. Our book 'Where babies come from' kicked-off the campaign. It was directly shared with our IVF community (patients past and present). From there, they became the media channel through organic amplification via sharing a special e-Book version of the story. The book covered challenging subjects, like infertility, sexual orientation, and explained the IVF process. Through joyful visuals and rhyming stanzas, children not only understood the message but loved the story. By the last page, a new story had been shared, one that made every IVF child feel just like everyone else, maybe a little more special.

List the results (30% of vote)

We started in the IVF community, but soon the story of where babies come from was being talked about in the wider community and was covered by national TV news. This resulted in an earned media reach of 5.1 million. (In Australian terms, that’s ¼ of the population). We reached 92% of our target audience on social media and increased patient engagement by +27% MoM leading to an increase in site traffic increased by 121% Importantly the story of where babies come from was no longer just about natural conception. Genea managed to broaden the story to include IVF too.