Verena: Capture

Credits & Description:

Title: Capture
Agency: Mccann Worldgroup
Brand: Verena International Co., Ltd.
Country: Thailand
Entrant Company: Mccann Worldgroup, Bangkok
Advertising Agency: Mccann Worldgroup, Bangkok
Creative Group Head: Suramanas Juntima (Mccann Worldgroup)
Copy Writer: Wichian Thongsuksiri (Mccann Worldgroup)
Art Director: Supachai Toemtechatpong (Mccann Worldgroup)
Art Director: Suramanus Juntima (Mccann Worldgroup)
Junior Art Director: Natthawut Chuklunthong (Mccann Worldgroup)
Production Group Head: Siriwan Bamrungphol (Mccann Worldgroup)
Business Director: Jirapa Birasiriwatana (Mccann Worldgroup)
Account Director: Rasrin Akkaranunkorranich (Mccann Worldgroup)
Ceo: Yupin Muntzing (Mccann Worldgroup)
Director: Thanonchai Sornsriwichai (Phenomena)
Producer: Panida Ngamsompong (Phenomena)
Brief with projected outcomes:
With Thai FDA restrictions for benefit claims in mass communication, the decision was to communicate on both TV and Online which has less limitation in order to strike a balance of mass awareness, while also establishing an online route to educate the socially active target on Sure’s benefit in depth.
Outcome:
Human ImpactImmediately after launched, Thai audience started spreading it via their social media channel on that very day. The hugely active reactions from audience created talk of the town impact. One of Thai famous press even raised the topic of weight control diet supplementary and wrote a full page column because of this social impact.This campaign was able to earn even higher returns of Reach, Engagement and Sales despite zero budget spend on media!ReachThe Online Film reached 4.7 million organic views within 5 days.EngagementThe rate of consumers’ searching for “Verena Sure” immediately increased by up to 100%.And Verena’s call center experienced a record high for inbound calls at an incredible 80% jump from normal levels, handling both inquiries and purchase orders.SalesSales volume increased by up to 60% within the month and has maintained this level up until now.
Relevancy:
The idea was to transfer the scientific functional benefit of product to simple and entertaining to capture Thai audience's attention. The idea is brought to life through a narrative that compares the working of the supplement to that of a vigilant highway policeman. The ‘inside’ story unfolds through a series of entertaining word play and dramatizations from the moment Sure supplement is ingested by local celebrity Woonsen, in which all fat passing through her mouth is captured and unable to pass through to any other part of her body.
Synopsis:
Situation:At 14,000 million Thai baht annual market value, the beauty supplementary market in Thailand is a cut throat business. Competition rages between all sizes of players, all fighting for a slice of a lucrative market. This competition is made even tougher when actively regulated by strict local FDA, limiting any explicit benefit claims. It’s within this arena that Verena and it’s portfolio of supplementary brands has struggled to gain awareness and traction even after 5 years in market.Brief: Convince Thai women who are concerned about their weight but find it hard to resist the temptations of fatty local dishes, that they can easily enjoy a win win situation with Verena’s ‘Sure’ – a chitosan active fat binding supplement when consumed with food. Objectives:Gain significant awareness for Verena ‘Sure’ supplement among Thai women, and get them to consider the brand as an effective solution for their needs.
Campaign Description:
The story briefly translates the scientific function of “chitosan” to the benefit that can be understood by all walks of life. ‘Chitosan’ is likened to a policeman - capturing the fat that passes through the body. Using this analogy and enhanced by the vigilant nature of Thai policemen it simply compares prohibited goods to fat transferring to each part of human body such as belly and thigh after having meal. All these incidents happen inside the body of Woonsen (Thai Celebrity) after she ingests the Sure supplement.
Strategy:
Data gatheringWe researched Thai target consumer and competitive context finding out that:-Thai women desire to be beautiful & slim, yet the process must be very easy, looking for convenient ways that fit to their multi-tasking lifestyle.-Most of the target do not know about “chitosan” and its benefit-No Competitor claims about “chitosan” and its complicated function. Most of them always portray the visual of attractive physical appearance and before-after benefit through online.ApproachWith the many restrictions, market players have defaulted into a predictable and somewhat generic approach. The only way to break through the clutter was to come at the market and the target in a very different way. Showcasing the unique advantage of the scientific ingredient ‘chitosan’ and it’s function in a highly entertaining way that connected with the audience was the magic mix in gaining the awareness and memorability we required.
Execution:
The full local campaign was executed from start to finish, including 14 days FDA approval period, within a 3-month turnaround time period. The campaign kicked off with an online film specific targeted to working women via Facebook. After sparking audience’s attention and word of mouth was achieved the TVC was quickly released the following week to achieve mass attention and drove even more traffic to online. At the same moment, other medium with customized message for each touch points were launched such as OOH – TVC and key visual on sky train station, TV Tie-in, and owned social media launch and maintaining :- Lines and Facebook.