Read on

Beginner’s luck. That was the first thought that came to mind when Pfizer Inc.’s marketing director for the consumer healthcare division Joselyn Conti was given the news. The "Read to Lead" reading advocacy launched by Pfizer-CHD’s Visine brand last September had just won the 2002 Grand Anvil given by the Public Relations Society of the Philippines. The Pfizer-CHD campaign was cited for its use of public relations in support of marketing a revitalized product.

"It was our first attempt. We were just two months into the campaign when we submitted our application to PRSP," said Conti. "We had no illusions that we could win."

A campaign that grew

Winning an award was not an objective when Visine product manager Kristen Mariano planned a topical campaign in support of the brand’s thematic positioning as a lifestyle product. Although the market leader in the P150-million over-the-counter eye care segment, Visine is identified with relief from red eyes and other minor eye irritations rather than as part of a daily health routine.

"I used a usage attitude and image survey that identified reading as the second biggest cause of eye strain as a jumping point and put together a short-term, low budget project that would use non-traditional marketing tools," he said.

Conti thought the reading advocacy was a novel idea and upgraded the topical project to the thematic. Pfizer-CHD general manager Rogelio LaO’ equally liked the campaign’s social dimensions.

"It was a risky move but you sometimes have to try something not ordinary in a competitive segment to expand market share," said Conti.

As a result, the 30% of the remaining budget for the year that Mariano had earmarked for the reading advocacy project was expanded to cover the entire unused budget of the brand.

Targeting the market

The first hurdle was to identify the target market.

"Our traditional market is the young adult. On the one hand, surveys show that only 3% of those who’ve finished school regularly read. On the other hand, surveys show that love of reading must be inculcated in children by the time they are nine years or in grade 3 if they are to get into the habit of reading. We compromised by targeting the high school students," said Mariano.

"We decided to go with psychographics rather than with demographics," said Conti.

To make reading a with-it and hip (instead of geeky) activity, it was decided to get an endorser closely identified with the youth. "We were initially looking at one endorser but ended up with three to cover as many market segments as possible," said Mariano.

The second hurdle was to reach as many people as possible.

Partnering with natural allies like bookstores and newspapers, Pfizer-CHD sponsored monthly ReadShows in Metro Manila malls where the students of nearby public schools were invited. Done in TV talk show format, men in government such as Senator Manuel Villar and Education Secretary Edilberto de Jesus were interviewed on their favorite books and how these books have helped them succeed in their lives and careers. The students were encouraged to ask questions. On the side, free eye examinations were conducted by the Eye Foundation & Safety Foundation.

"The ReadShow was the focal point of the campaign. It was a non-traditional use of an on-the-ground PR effort," said Perceptions, Inc. president Rene Nieva, whose public relations company coordinated the mall events.

As token honoraria, the guests were given boxes of brand-new books which they, in turn, donated to their favorite public schools.

Impact

Although Visine sales went up in the fourth quarter of 2002 and the first two months of 2003, Pfizer-CHD is cautious about directly attributing the uptick to the reading campaign.

"In advocacy, the message should be ahead of the brand. It’s a slow burner and we wouldn’t know for some time whether the campaign has had a ripple effect among the youth. The reading advocacy works because of the good fit of cause and the product," said Conti, who has, however, given Mariano the go signal to expand the six-month campaign. The second phase of "Read to Lead" will start in the second quarter of 2003 and will be a one-year campaign with ReadShows going outside Metro Manila.

"It has turned out to be a cost-effective campaign. We have been able to stretch our budget by partnering with other reading advocates in the community. It wouldn’t have been as comprehensive, wide-reaching and concentrated a campaign if we undertook it alone," said Mariano.

Clearly, Pfizer is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the "Read to Lead" campaign. "It builds on Pfizer’s core values of concern for the community, innovation and principled leadership," said Nieva.

The biggest beneficiaries of all, however, are the youth who are reminded that the act of reading is as necessary to a better quality of life as the next high-tech computer game.