Case Studies
Genacol
The Target Market
- Individuals who suffer from:
Arthritis; Fibromyalgia; Osteoporoses or have recurring sports injuries. (Any ailment which is a direct result from lack of Collagen in the body).
- LSM 7 upwards.
- Living in Cape Town, Jo’burg or Durban.
The Campaign Objective
1. Drive Education on Benefits of Collagen and advantages of Genacol.
2. Build credibility in the brand through trial usage and relationship building.
3. Drive word-of-mouth around the brand and stimulate recommendations.
4. Impact on future sales.
The Influencers recruited for the campaign
HaveYouHeard identified 1000 Influencers within Genacol's target market, who apart from bring Influential and credible, had to meet 2 strict requirements.
1. Firstly they could not have been exposed to the brand before this campaign i.e. they couldn't already be using Genacol.
2. Secondly they had to fit the profile of those extremely likely to become Genacol consumers.
This was important as our focus is always on generating new consumers for a brand, through breaking the legacy of brand loyalty to other brands (the toughest marketing challenge as this requires a transformation in both a consumers mindset and behaviour).
The campaign
It was required that the Influences opt-in to the campaign, agreeing to be educated, experience the product and thereafter to spread their positive recommendations of the brand to their friends and family.
This kit consisted of:
- A workbook that included easy to read and understand brand and product information (created by HaveYouHeard).
- Product samples of both the gel and the capsules – enough Genacol to trial for a 1-month period.
- Genacol product coupons (R15 and R20 off) to share with friends or to use themselves.
Throughout their trial process Influencers were asked to honestly communicate their Genacol experience to their peers and HaveYouHeard. This constant communication served two purposes:
- It stimulated the consistent spread of information and recommendations from a trusted source. (These recommendations are critical to the growth of any product).
- The constant communication between HaveYouHeard and the Influencers enabled consistent monitoring of the Influencers experiences. If anything went wrong, or an influencer was having a less than fantastic experience, HaveYouHeard could step in and rectify the situation immediately.
Campaign Outcome
The Genacol product experience was both exceptional and expectation exceeding for the Influencers. This is exactly what it needed to be for the campaign to be truly successful, as the amount of Word-of-Mouth generated hinges on the Influencer's experience of the product.
Therefore if brands want to maximise their Word-of-Mouth exposure their products need to wow the Influencers.
During, and after, the Genacol Word-of-Mouth Marketing campaign the Influencers' shared and spread their opinions about Genacol with their family and friends. The Influencers' opinions were based on their own experiences and they shared them freely and extensively. They became the most believable adverts for Genacol.
Results (based on 1000 Influencers)
Future impact on sales
- 920 Influencers intended to purchase Genacol in the future.
(42 Had already bought it, 508 were definitely going to purchase it, and 370 were definitely going to purchase it when they needed it.)
- Genacol have not released sales figures but month on month they have seen improved growth, even with current limited and challenging distribution issues.
- Coupons are also still being received every month.
Education
- 980 Influencers felt they were highly educated on the need for Collagen and Genacol in their lives.
- A once unknown and complicated issue, is now fully understood by Influential consumers who are able to credibly educate their peers.
Drive Word-of-Mouth around the brand and stimulate Recommendations
- Genacol achieved a Net Promoter Score of 92% after the campaign, up from 8%. This is a drastic and phenomenal achievement. To see more on the Net Promoter Score, go to www.netpromoter.com
- We were also able to measure the conversation reach and impact of the campaign. On average the Influencer spoke to 60 of their peers, who then spoke to an average of 16 of their peers.
The impact of the campaign is therefore as follows:
- 1000 Influencers x 60 connections = 60 000 direct positive recommendations to use the brand (1st Generation).
- 60 000 consumers x 16 connections = 960 000 messages were had (2nd Generation).
Published: 25 May 2009
