The ultimate challenge of the CHAMPIX “I did it!” campaign was to break through message clutter, to increase consumer awareness and encourage them to speak to their healthcare professionals about the product without saying what it does. Canada’s strict regulations for pharmaceutical advertising directed to consumers prohibit us from disclosing or even alluding to the product’s use or medical indication. This creates an uneven playing field, as our main competitors, non-prescription patches and gums, are not subject to the same restrictions. We had to be exceptionally clever.

Objectives were to increase brand awareness among consumers and to drive to web for information on CHAMPIX, and ultimately to encourage smokers to discuss CHAMPIX with their doctor or other healthcare professional and ask for a prescription.

Strategic insight revealed quitting smoking to be the proudest personal accomplishment of an ex-smoker. This revelation enabled us to create a unique leadership positioning for CHAMPIX. By shifting away from the negative messaging that defines the category, we focused on the positive message of celebrating success.

360-Degree execution included TV, Outdoor (billboard, bus shelter), Indoor (office towers, clinics), Web, and Mobile with the outcome of surpassing industry averages with increased awareness, Internet searches and consumer engagement.

The simple “I did it!” creative strategy established a unique brand leadership positioning. In a cluttered category of negative messages, CHAMPIX stood alone. With an original focus on success, the strong creative was a breath of fresh air. The slogan and “.com” call-to-action with the CHAMPIX logo were integrated throughout all campaign elements.

Celebrating success with the iconic “Rocky” theme, the national TV campaign ran on specialty and conventional channels, from December 28th, 2011 to March 25th, 2012. Support media included online banners, office tower elevator videos, elevator-wrap signage and medical clinic advertising in major markets. The second wave, which ran from Dec 1st, 2012 to Nov 31st, 2013, included website pre-roll videos featuring surprise celebrations, national out-of-home billboards, digital boards, transit shelters, office towers, and outdoor digital projections in 14 locations in Toronto and Montreal on New Year’s Eve. Impact was further maximized at point-of-sale and medical clinics.

We smoked the competition during the ground-breaking campaign. “I did it!” increased brand awareness by 8% among smokers, who recalled the message as advocating the product’s effectiveness, resulting in positive perceptions about CHAMPIX.

The online campaign generated more than 9.5 million impressions and a click-through rate of 0.4%, well above the average of 0.1%, with the number of CHAMPIX searches on Google peaking while the requests for competing products remained constant.

Among those watching the 30-second pre-roll, 15% viewed it in its entirety, which is double the average for comparable pharmaceuticals in the category. Time spent on the interactive banner was 25.4 seconds, which is 49% higher than average for comparable advertisements (17.03 seconds).

Lastly, the campaign registered a record high conversion rate from clicks on the ads to the CHAMPIX.com website, 14% click rates, which is triple the average normally registered for campaigns of comparable products (4.82%).