SATELLITE & CABLE: Surprising consumers with an uplifting experience

<p>Background </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>After a difficult year during which the Thai domestic economy remained </p><p>tight, retail sales for the juice category continued to be affected, </p><p>with consumers trading down to lower price brands. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>While Zenith Media Thailand's client, UNIF Foods, remained committed to </p><p>brand advertising, the need to support the brand while finding ways to </p><p>be more tactical in driving sales was a specific challenge. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>This, in context with increasing competitive spending in the category, </p><p>required the agency to seek ways to increase the impact of the media </p><p>budget. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The client </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>UNIF Foods is a major food manufacturer in Thailand. This was a new </p><p>client for Zenith, which won the juice products group account in late </p><p>1998. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>UNIF juices are positioned as a premium juice brand in the market. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Media insights </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>- An analysis of UNIF's competitors revealed that most followed similar </p><p>media strategies, including targeted television branding and tactical </p><p>promotions in the press. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>- UNIF would not be able to outspend its main competitors in television, </p><p>and therefore faced being severely outvoiced in the primary medium. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>- The bulk of UNIF juice sales was through supermarkets, heavily skewed </p><p>against upmarket locations. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>- Evidence through local studies of media vs. sales effectiveness, both </p><p>internationally (published studies) and locally (Zenith's own research) </p><p>strongly suggested that "recency planning", i.e. planning media as close </p><p>to the purchase decision occasion, was the most effective media strategy </p><p>for building market share of established brands, particularly among fast </p><p>moving consumer products. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>This media strategy was introduced to the client and adopted in </p><p>television planning. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Use of media </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Relevant and humorous UNIF juice executions were utilised on elevator </p><p>doors in the carparks going into Top supermarkets, Thailand's No.1 </p><p>supermarket chain. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>This resulted in high impact - UNIF was the first and only advertiser to </p><p>use this medium on supermarket elevator doors in Thailand. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>It was also highly tactical, reinforcing the brand immediately prior to </p><p>the consumer entering the supermarket to shop, supporting the recency </p><p>media planning strategy. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>In terms of branding, messages were consistent to the brand persona, </p><p>while being specifically relevant to the medium. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Finally, the campaign was highly cost effective - the advantage in being </p><p>the first to use the medium was that there was no pre-exisiting </p><p>ratecard. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Cost was therefore minimal versus the impact of the campaign. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Effectiveness </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>A survey conducted following the campaign revealed that among women and </p><p>housewives who shopped at Top supermarkets, 56 per cent reported seeing </p><p>the elevator ads, and 43 per cent could not only recall the advertising </p><p>messages, but also the visuals. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>* This ongoing National Geographic Showcase series features selected </p><p>material from winners and other entries in the Best Use of Media </p><p>category in MEDIA's Agency of the Year Awards 1999. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>