The PediaSure campaign targeted pharmacists both as stockists of PediaSure and, critically, as parents’ counselors and recommenders.

Visiting a GP in Australia takes time and costs money. The waiting room and the visitation bills are even harder to bear for parents of young children. Because of this, pharmacists are regularly the first call for parents with questions and concerns about the health of their children.

As the most critical healthcare professional audience for PediaSure, pharmacists need to be convinced in their role as recommenders that PediaSure is the right nutritional supplement for their patients. They understand the pressures facing young parents and know they are looked to as the experts. Pharmacists want to be equipped with up-to-date condition and product information so they can lead their conversations confidently.

In addition to this, pharmacists need to be convinced in their role as business operators that PediaSure is worth ranging, especially given it takes up significant shelf space and is more expensive than the market leader. As business operators or owners, pharmacists are well aware of the value of investment in brands, especially when consumer awareness is low.

In Australia, formulated dietary products such as PediaSure are regulated by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) under the Food for Special Medical Purposes (FSMP) Food Standards Code. This code states FSMP advertising must ‘assist consumer understanding of the specific nature of the food, the intended population group and intended special purpose of the food; and provide for safe use by the intended population and to help prevent inappropriate use by those for whom the special purpose food is not intended’. Advertising of FSMP products must also meet broader FSANZ guidelines pertaining to product claims.

PediaSure is a powdered liquid nutritional supplement for children aged 1-10. The brand has had a presence in the Australian market for 30 years, however the potential and expectation for the brand is much higher than the reality given its significant scale in overseas markets. The brand growth has been limited due to parents confusing PediaSure with infant formulas or otherwise failing to see the need for a nutritional supplement. The PediaSure competitor is Sustagen Kid Essentials, which is marketed by the world’s largest food manufacturer in Nestle, and so has significant investment and support behind the brand.

The brief from the client was intended for the Australian market initially, but needed to be translatable to other markets, and so had a wide range of global stakeholders.