The challenge was to create a campaign that put Horlicks at the heart of women's wind-down routine
Horlicks-traditionally a TV advertiser -sought a different approach in 2009 to target new and existing customers. The challenge was to create a campaign that put Horlicks at the heart of women's wind-down routine, without it being associated with their old bedtime positioning. IPC's consumer insight identified that mums are a key group seeking relaxation opportunities to escape the daily routine, that evenings are a key time for mums "me time", and that reading (books and magazines) is their top "me time" activity.
The collaboration took the campaign beyond the newsstand, driving brand engagement and allowing Horlicks to be viewed as a facilitator of effective relaxation time.
The creation of relevant content and sponsorships around specific reading and "me time" elements of IPC South Bank and Weeklies print and digital brands. A 4 month multi-platform display, creative solutions, digital and on-pack campaign, souls to IPC. This included... "Fiction Forum" - Reader panels recruited to review and recommend books. Horlicks branded bookmarks were created & tipped onto the first "Fiction Forum" advertorials. Weeklies "R&R"-Relaxation & Reading - Sponsorships of major editorial franchises in IPC Connect. Horlicks branded sticker sheets in IPC Titles.
IPC's pre/post ad effectiveness research revealed:- Unprompted brand awareness grew by 12%. Frequency of purchase increased post campaign -with consumers saying they were buying Horlicks more often. Amongst existing buyers, Horlicks'r anking as "first choice" grew by 26%, so the campaign really strengthened their brand relationship. 52% of the 5,000 women surveyed recalled seeing the Horlicks activity and over 1/3 of these said they would definitely/probably buy Horlicks as a result.
"We were impressed by the number and depth of ideas IPC considered to drive engagement and brand interactivity...Horlicks brand communications have always focused on aiding sleep, this campaign gave us the opportunity to talk to our customers about the importance of taking time to unwind within their hectic lifestyles. Providing them with a free magazine subscription to enhance their Horlicks moment offered the perfect solution for those many people who would benefit from more relaxed evenings." Sandi Boyden, Senior Brand Manager, GlaxoSmithKline.