Agency

Megan Butler, Media Week, 08 July 2008, 00:00am

Design a Fab Den idea turns brand around

Challenge: Over the past 12 years, the Fab lolly had received no marketing support beyond price promotions. As a result, the brand was losing relevance and starting to decline. Brand value share was down by 9%. Our budget was limited - MMS puts Fab's share of voice at just 1.6%. Furthermore, last year saw the wettest summer on record. Stabilising the decline in such a tough market was not going to be easy.

Client: R&R Ice Cream
Agency: Rise Communications
Lead planner: Megan Butler

Strategy
To re-connect modern families with the brand's fun image and turn their fond memories of the product into brand commitment and purchase. The creative idea came from research into families. Knowing that children enjoy creative and expressive activities and that mums see their bedrooms as a safe haven, we developed the "Design a Fab Den" idea.

Activity
We devised a campaign around a central design competition, driving mums to access den templates at www.myfabland.com. Families could colour in templates and send them back to be in with a chance of winning a real bedroom makeover, as per their design. Activity focused on mums, with advertising and content on parenting websites and in women's magazines. The Fab Tour, supported by regional PR, visited zoos and safari parks over the holidays, giving families another chance to enter and enjoy a Fab lolly. Finally, the competition ran on-pack, using the previously unused touchpoint of lolly sticks themselves.

Results
The campaign succeeded in terms of sales and brand targets. Due to the wet summer, the ice lolly category fell 15% year on year. Without marketing support for Fab, we would have anticipated a 23% fall in sales year on year. Yet we turned the brand around and actually achieved sales growth of 1.5%. Reliance on price promotions was reduced by 20%, increasing profitability. Overall, ROI was £3.35 per £1 spent. Advocacy levels among mums were up by 50% and the brand's consideration rating was up by 40%.

Rise Communications, Megan Butler, senior planner

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