Milk, an important constituent of a child’s meal and essential part of healthy meal for toddlers and infants, was losing its relevance with consumers once a child turned 6 years old, the milk consumption levels reduced to 1/5th from previous years.
In a shrinking category, and reduced penetration levels from 50.9% to 48.3%, Friesland Campina had to find ways to sustain consumer interest and instill Milk drinking habit among kids.
UM’s two fold communication challenges were as follows:-
Challenge #1 Increase relevance and showcase how Milk supports child’s development, provides essential nutrients for their development and growth.
Challenge #2 Instill Milk drinking habit in kids to drive volume, and sustain Dutch Lady’s leadership in the IFT category with 54% market share. Thus it had to give engage mothers with the brand and bring to life the concept of SMARTNESS via Applied Learning.
Malaysia with 70% Muslim majority celebrated the Holy festival of Ramadan with much fan-fare. However in the midst of festivities and celebration a mother was perturbed by her child’s lack of nutrition intake. Dutch Lady with its unique 5XDHA formula helped provide complete nutrition for kids.
UM decided to showcase to mothers the uniqueness of Dutch Lady’s formula and also reassure her during the 30 days of fasting.
Planning & Execution
In a Malaysia a new trend was gaining grounds, kids as young as 6 years were beginning to fast for 30 Days during the holy month of Ramadan.
Mothers admired their young child’s attempt to emulate the Prophet, but at the same time they were worried about the lack of nutrition during the 30 Days of fasting.
UM’s research revealed that in the Holy Book Quran, Milk is described as ‘The Drink of Heaven’. This unique cultural insight gave the agency a strong platform which it could leverage to showcase nutritional value of Milk and its significance as a part of a growing up child’s meal.
Research has proved that any action repeated for a continuous period of 21 Days leads to habit formation, therefore if UM could get kids to drink Dutch Lady GUM milk during the Holy Month, it could instil a habit in them.
UM decided to embark on a first of its kind fasting journey with kids across Malaysia for the entire duration of 30 Days of fasting.
It partnered with Malaysia’s child sweetheart Mia Sara, the biggest child influencer in the country, who was adored by kids and mums alike and positioned her as the first ever fasting companion for kids, someone who went through the 30 day journey along with Malaysian kids.
UM developed 30 special videos featuring Mia Sara, Dutch Lady's unique fasting companion for kids.
The 3 phased campaign began with 30 videos EDUCATING mothers about the importance of complete nutritional intake during fasting. Each new video was aired on TV at night and timed to coincide with the period during which mothers prepared for Sahur (Last meal before fasting) for next morning.
Mia Sara showcased everyday issues faced by kids during fasting, and presented Dutch Lady milk as the solution.
UM ENGAGED moms in a CONTEXTUAL, TIME-BOUND manner. Each video message was customised at 4 levels- Time, Stage of the Fasting Month, and also targeted kids & Raya content searches on video platforms via Performance Marketing.
A special Raya Dutch Lady calendar reminded mothers to use Dutch Lady everyday for Sahur.
Charming Mia Sara ENTERTAINED Mums and Kids with her witty responses.
The brand gave away special cups to kids, which could be used like a mug, a sippy cup or with a straw.
It continued the engagement with the kids by providing them a unique opportunity via a special event on ground to break Ramadan fast with their idol Mia Sara.
The first of its kind fasting companion was appreciated by Malaysians, and parents took to Dutch Lady’s Facebook showcasing their appreciation and blessing Mia Sara. The unique campaign was also covered in news programmes and publications.
Effectiveness / Results
A first of its kind Ramadan campaign reached 93% of Muslim mothers (*Source: AC Nielsen Arianna. Period: 5th July – 21st Aug 2013).
Brand scores beat industry benchmark as 88% of mothers enjoyed the video. (*Source: Milward Brown Communication Tracker. Period: July-Sept 2013).
Consumer consideration increased to 78%. (*Source: Milward Brown Communication Tracker. Period: July-Sept 2013).
UM also achieved its task of recruiting new users. 15% bought for 1st time and 16% have switched from another brand. (*Source: Milward Brown Communication Tracker. Period: July-Sept 2013).
Sales volume increased 8.5% (*Source: Nielsen Retail Audit. Period Dec 2013), which is commendable considering 70% of Malaysia was fasting in Ramadan, and there was general decline in the sales volume across food & beverage category.