Quantity is king in Gai Zhong Gai's all-out advertising blitz

<p>In an aggressive "quantity versus quality" advertising campaign, </p><p>calcium tonic Gai Zhong Gai, produced by the Sixth Harbin Pharmaceutical </p><p>Factory (SHPF) has witnessed a significant increase in brand awareness </p><p>since the production launched last June. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>According to a report, an average of 60 per cent of TV viewers said they </p><p>have seen the commercial an average of 20 times, while 40 per cent said </p><p>they see it every day. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The campaign's complete disregard for consumer target groups was </p><p>unusual, as was its approach of addressing as many people as possible </p><p>without paying all that much attention to the audience it reached. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Unlike other consumer brands, the tonic does not purchase fixed TVC </p><p>timeslots, but negotiates a mutually acceptable price with TV stations </p><p>for a maximum amount of airtime bought at bulk discount. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Since the launch of its campaign, Gai Zhong Gai liquid tonic and pills </p><p>TVCs are being promoted all over China, appearing on 84 channels in 34 </p><p>cities across the country, making it a product with extensive coverage, </p><p>broadcasting frequency and adspend investment. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>In June 2000, Gai Zhong Gai's total TVC adspend reached RMB182.18 </p><p>million, while its commercial's were on air for 761,752 seconds, </p><p>reaching a broadcasting frequency of 32,874, according to reports in </p><p>China Business. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>While the aggressive strategy has achieved its goal of increasing brand </p><p>awareness for the product, it has also been debated amongst industry </p><p>professionals and audiences alike. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Complaints from viewers focused on the over-saturation and weak creative </p><p>ideas of the campaign, which has used Chinese actors including Gong Li </p><p>and Pu Chunxin to promote the brand. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>A TVC with Gong Li brought Gai Zhong Gai close to a lawsuit when the </p><p>famous actress reads a letter from a female student who attends a </p><p>Project Hope school, a public welfare programme which aims at bringing </p><p>poor students back to school, telling her that she and her classmates </p><p>are all taking the tonic which Gong Li donated to the school. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The TVC caused an outcry from viewers, who demanded to know if the </p><p>project's sponsor, the China Youth Development Foundation, had </p><p>participated in the commercial promotion of the liquid tonic. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>At the same time, industry professionals questioned the lack of media </p><p>research and targeted TVC placement at a time when audience profiles and </p><p>ratings are becoming increasingly sophisticated and readily </p><p>available. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>While the company may not be employing the most sophisticated and </p><p>original ideas and research tools at hand, sales of the product are up </p><p>over last year. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>According to reports, sales revenue during the first quarter reached </p><p>RMB2.1 billion, double that of the same period last year. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Meanwhile, sales revenue for the first half-year nearly hit RMB4 </p><p>billion, last year's total revenue. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>This year, SHPF adspend will reach RMB1.1 billion, while it is estimated </p><p>that the whole sales volume is expected to reach RMB8 billion. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Source: CMM Intelligence. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>