Formula milk brand, Similac, contains nutrients such as 2’-FL and DHA+7 essential for a child’s brain development and growth. The brief was to make Similac known to parents as the growing up milk that enhanced every child’s learning potential through a promo giveaway of free crayons with every purchase of Similac milk.

Similac turned the ordinary milk promo of free crayons into a movie! Through a simple contest, kids drew the imaginary characters to star in the movie. We brought the most unique characters to life in an animated film about a boy’s courage, growth and acceptance- helping parents realise the power of play and the potential it brought out in their child.

Every other growing up milk brand were doing these two things: communicating about cognitive development and giving out attractive milk promotions. How could Similac stand out with minimal budget and only a humble giveaway of free crayons? By giving parents and kids an experience like never before. We turned the ordinary promo into a movie with starring characters designed by kids!

We wanted to make parents aware of the benefits of play on cognitive development- especially in Malaysia, where most parents still believed in conventional learning methods like studying. Research had shown how play-based learning improved memory and stimulated growth of the cerebral cortex much better than conventional book-learning.

That’s why we convinced parents play time was far more effective in developing a child’s cognition- by getting parents to see their child’s playful imagination and potential come to life in a movie.

We gave out free crayons with every purchase of Similac. Then, we challenged kids to draw unique characters in a contest. We selected 31 most unique characters, crafted a storyline and brought them to life in an animated film about a boy’s growth, courage and acceptance. The movie, “A Wonderfully Wild Adventure” was premiered on Microsoft Teams, where Similac’s loyal customers, parents and kids who participated in the contest were invited. Through the movie, everyone could witness the mesmerising result of play time and good nutrition.

From 1 June to 31 July 2020, over 600 kids rose up to the challenge and submitted unique hand-drawn characters using our free crayon giveaway. Our movie, which premiered in a private live event, broke the record for “Most cartoon characters drawn by kids in an animation” in the Malaysian Book of Records. With 0 media spend on the event, Abbott gained 6,056 organic Facebook followers, grew 148% in e-commerce value and became the 4th biggest player with a 13.6% combined market share value. The campaign made it clear to young parents how Similac could benefit their child in more effective and modern ways. But most importantly, both parent and child could see just how far a little playful imagination could take them.