Familiprix – We put ourselves in your shoes
Off to a Good Start (SILVER)
Client Credits: Familiprix
André Rhéaume, VP marketing
Agency Credits: lg2
Marc Fortin, Luc Du Sault and Nicolas Boisvert, Copywriter
Marc Fortin, Luc Du Sault and Nicolas Boisvert, Art Director
Mireille Côté and Catherine Darius, Planner
Mireille Côté and Christine Larouche, Account manager
Emanuel Hoss-Desmarais, Director
Philippe Lalande, Producer
Studio Appollo (Music)
Boogie Studio (Sound design)
Carat (Media planner)
Johanne Pelland, Agency producer (Elli Production)
Luc Du Sault and Marc Fortin, Creative Directors
Crossover Notes:
Crossover Notes: All winning cases contain lessons that cross over from one case to another. David Rutherford has been identifying these as Crossover Notes since CASSIES 1997. The full set for CASSIES 2012 can be downloaded from the Case Library section at www.cassies.ca
Crossover Note 2. Brand Truths.
Crossover Note 20. Emotional versus Rational.
Crossover Note 25. Brand Linkage (when should the brand name appear).
Crossover Note 32. Internal Marketing.
To see creative, click on the links that are embedded in the case.
Section I — BASIC INFORMATION
| Business Results Period (Consecutive Months): | November 2010 – March 2011 |
| Start of Advertising/Communication Effort: | November 1 2010 |
| Base Period as a Benchmark: | November 2009 – October 2010 |
Section II — SITUATION ANALYSIS
a) Overall Assessment
Familiprix is a chain of pharmacies in Quebec. A pharmacy, from a consumer standpoint, is an undifferentiated product. From one banner to another, we find the same products, same brands and about the same price. Differentiation plays a role in communications and the banner’s brand image. This is a very competitive area where several banners are well established, such as Jean Coutu, which has nearly half the market share and has been the leader in this category for many years.
Familiprix was absent from the advertising arena for two years after raising the advertising standards for the category with its “Ah! Ha!” campaign, which had an impressive impact on the Quebec market. [Grand Prix Cassies 2003; Gold for Sustained Success Cassies 2005.] Familiprix’s return to TV was highly anticipated, and the bar was very high.
b) Resulting Business Objectives
For the 2010-2011 campaign:
– Increase sales by 10%
– Attract a new generation of pharmacists to support the Familiprix network expansion [Crossover Note 32]
c) Annual Media Budget
$1 – $2 million
d) Geographic Area
Province of Quebec
Section III — STRATEGIC THINKING
a) Analysis and Insight
Although a pharmacy is a “healthcare” destination, most competing banners rely on beauty products, loyalty programs, daily promotions, and proximity to demonstrate their added value.
With healthcare excluded from the added value offering, while the province is experiencing a shortage of family physicians, the pharmacist must step up, become even more important and gain credibility with the public. The pharmacist has the potential to become the most accessible healthcare professional. But how to go about winning over two targets: pharmacists seeking a banner to partner with and the general public looking for a skilled pharmacist?
Familiprix took the pulse of the public to determine what they saw as the top quality of a good pharmacist. To our great surprise, listening and understanding their needs was by far the most popular response. The pharmacist’s qualifications came in a distant second. So people need to first feel understood, and then they are in a position to be treated. [Crossover Notes 2 and 20]
b) Communication Strategy
Conclusion 1: To be credible with the general public, the pharmacist must have empathy.
Conclusion 2: A pharmacy with an empathetic pharmacist becomes a preferred healthcare destination. Therefore:
– Position the pharmacist’s role upfront
– Leverage their human qualities: empathy, listening, understanding
Section IV — KEY EXECUTIONAL ELEMENTS
a)Media Used
:30 French TV
b)Creative Discussion
Familiprix learned and understood that consumers are looking for an attentive ear and personal advice from their pharmacist.
Using the creative angle, “We put ourselves in your shoes” and a new brand signature, “Bon pour la santé” (Good for your health), Familiprix both valued its pharmacists and promised Quebecers to be the most empathetic banner.
Creatively, we see Familiprix pharmacists taking the place (literally) of customers with a problem. In “Grand-dad” a grandfather has hurt his back playing horsey with the grandkids, but we see a young pharmacist with kids bouncing on her back. In “High School” a schoolgirl wants an acne product, but we see a middle-aged pharmacist letting out a horrified scream when he sees that he has a zit. Please view the embedded commercials. [Crossover Note 25]
c)Media Discussion
30-second TV spots ran across the province of Quebec.
Section V — BUSINESS RESULTS
a) Sales/Share Results
– Sales over the BRP increased 13.5% while the overall market grew barely 2%.
– The campaign helped attract 17 pharmacists to bring their businesses into the Familprix fold (from 283 to 300 pharmacies).
– Familiprix ranked eighth among the most admired companies in Quebec according to Les Affaires magazine. This is a significant jump of five places from last year. It’s also the first time Familiprix is ahead of its competitor Uniprix.
– The campaign also won a number of advertising awards:
> 1 CREA Grand Prize and 2 CREA awards
> 1 GOLD Marketing Award, 2 SILVER and 2 ARTISAN awards
> 1 shortlist at Cannes Lions
b) Consumption/ Usage Results
c) Other Pertinent Results
d) Return on Investment
Section VI — CAUSE & EFFECT BETWEEN ADVERTISING AND RESULTS
a)General Discussion
The TV campaign was the only Familiprix advertising effort in 2010 and 2011. No promotion, more aggressive than in the past, was undertaken during the campaign and the period in which the results were collected.
In addition, competing pharmacies were more present than in previous years. Previously, they were not all in the public arena at the same time or chose different media. In 2010 and 2011, however, all competitors were present on TV with heavy media weight and new advertising campaigns, including the largest player (Jean Coutu).
b)Excluding Other Factors
Spending Levels: N/A
Pricing: N/A
Distribution Changes: N/A
Unusual Promotional Activity: N/A
Other Potential Causes: N/A