Redoxon is the world’s number one Vitamin C brand, but in every market, faces stiff competition from Vitamin C competitors, especially lower priced generics. Like many pharmaceutical brands, Redoxon had in the past attempted to fight competition with increasingly sophisticated product innovation (formulas, formats), all of which were always quickly copied, and only created complicated propositions and portfolios that were difficult for consumers to navigate. Redoxon decided to fight back with ‘new’ weapons: brand purpose vs. product superiority. Redoxon worked with local communities in Ecuador to tackle a real and health-compromising social problem, garbage in public spaces, cleaning up children’s play spaces and creating ‘clean spaces for healthy living.’ Our campaign was picked up by national TV and press, increased Redoxon’s TOM awareness, trial and preference, establishing Redoxon as ‘more than just Vitamin C’ but as Defender of Health – a brand that makes a meaningful difference in consumers’ lives.

We first considered our target audience and learnt how important it is that they can continue to earn and care for their own family. One way Redoxon could help was to transform a public playground into a clean area free from disease. We next identified a deprived area in Ecuador where Redoxon could make a real difference. We galvanized that local community to involve them fully in the initiative, working closely with community leaders. Before the event we traveled the area encouraging participation. On the day there were motivational speeches, music and food, all to establish a positive, energetic atmosphere. The activities were broadcast live in a TV news bulletin – the first step in a campaign that shared the story with a much broader audience across Ecuador. Since the event, the park has been maintained by the committed local community, with ongoing support from Redoxon, including a planned refresh.

Following the event, we saw improvements in Redoxon’s brand perceptions, loyalty and consideration on both a local and national scale. Within the community, we saw increases in brand awareness from 78% to 95%, purchase intent from 88% to 93% and trial from 29% to 38%. The story was subsequently picked up by a national news channel and ran for 3 weeks, as well as featuring in 18 TV news bulletins, receiving 24 minutes of brand exposure and in 37 publications, with 60% of PR coverage being national. Through this exposure, we were able to reach Vitamin C users across Ecuador, and saw top of mind awareness increase from 35% to 42%, trial increase from 39% to 44% and brand preference increase from 36% to 48%. Perhaps most indicative of the campaign’s success, Redoxon’s perception as more than a Vitamin C brand increased amongst our target audience from 56% to 83%.