Taking the bull by the horns

A red rag

Cough sufferers describe Covonia’s taste as “an assault on the senses” that “you can actually feel working”.

But pivotal research unlocked a new core insight: it’s not just about what the product promises, it’s about the attitude of the person taking it.

The consumer and Covonia shared the same mentality – get through this. We combined this with the efficacy message based on the distinctive taste.

This had a big impact on our approach: moving consumer mentality from ‘victim’ to ‘fighter’; moving the brand role from ‘problem solver’ (we’ll treat your cough), to ‘provocateur’ (‘have you got what it takes?’).

Bullish attitude

Our campaign issued a challenge – have consumers ‘Got the bottle?’ to ride the bull and feel the power. The tone was challenging. It didn’t offer a solution, instead we threw down a gauntlet.

The gritty new approach, the ‘Covonian Spirit’ as we call it, delivered from the off, featuring on TV, cinema, OOH, Digital, and social. Plus, we’ve launched THE FIRST AI tool to predict regions with cough and cold outbreaks and digitally deliver hard-hitting creative directly to sufferers.

Bulls-eye

The new strategy drove a 25% boost in sales, outperforming every brand in the market at a fraction of competitors’ spend, and bagging IPA Effectiveness, Digital Impact and Drum Roses awards in the process.

To learn more about how we can drive success for your healthcare brand, contact Austen Donnellan, Business Development Director.