A campaign for Talon rat bait by The Campaign Palace achieved spectacular results for client, Selleys Chemical Company, which could be directly attributed to the advertising. ÒThere were no changes to any of the key marketing variables over the advertised periodÓ, says David Mehanna, marketing manager at Selleys, Òwhich allowed us to isolate the advertising impact in assessing the results. In particular, distribution remained constant in the period and Talon retained its price premium over the market leader, Ratsak.Ó Launched in 1982 in Australia, Talon is marketed by Selleys for Crop Care Australasia, and holds 20% to 25% of the rat poison market, the second largest share. Ratsak, virtually a generic name for rat bait in Australia, holds a 50% share, while the remainder is shared by Bromakill (Rentokill), Racumin (Bayer) and Mortein (Reckitt & Colman). Talon lost the positioning Òthe most effective rat poisonÓ in 1996 when Mortein launched a product containing active ingredient Broudifacoum, previously exclusive to Talon. The ingredient makes Talon and Mortein 40 times more effective in killing rats than Ratsak, but also more expensive than the market leader. Until 1997, Talon was not advertised to consumers. Selleys acquired the marketing and distribution rights for Talon in 1991 and emphasised brand development and grocery distribution. This pushed TalonÕs market share to between 20% and 25%, a level which remained constant throughout the 1990s. Selleys opted for a consumer advertising campaign in 1997 when it was clear that a superior formula was not strong enough to build the brand, and that TalonÕs market share could be eroded by MorteinÕs ongoing advertising campaign. The Campaign Palace faced the initial challenge of consumer disinterest and the fact that Ratsak had 93% brand awareness in the category. The solution required some Òcareful thoughtÓ, says Mehanna, to increase awareness of Talon and to establish product superiority over Ratsak. ÒThe obvious approach would have been via direct product comparison, but this would have failed to acknowledge how consumers feel about the category,Ó says Mehanna. ÒThe vast majority of consumers viewing the ad would not have been facing a rat problem. Indeed the majority would never have faced one. Therefore they would not see rat baits as a product category relevant to them.Ó In this environment, a rational message was unlikely to cut through to build consumer awareness or empathy with the brand. ÒWe needed a more emotionally charged message. The challenge was to raise awareness and positive feelings towards the Talon brand without provoking negative feelings normally associated with the product.Ó The solution was to shift the focus away from the product. Instead of viewing the problem through consumersÕ eyes, the ads looked at Talon from the ratÕs point of view, built around the proposition: ÒThe one rats fear mostÓ. ÒThis approach implied ultimate product superiority but in a less confrontational way, that was more acceptable to consumers,Ó he says. The campaign delivered a dramatic increase to TalonÕs business. Mehanna says: ÒTalon enjoyed strong growth across all the key measurable criteria for 1997, while RatsakÕs business declined. The return on our investment in the campaign achieved a payback in about eight months.Ó The major campaign successes were: - TalonÕs brand awareness increased by 28% - TalonÕs brand preference increased by 38% while RatsakÕs decreased by 26% - TalonÕs product usage increased by 19% while RatsakÕs decreased by 7% - TalonÕs brand share increased by 39% while RatsakÕs decreased by 20% - TalonÕs sales increased by 58%. A campaign to grow TalonÕs share Media: television Format :15-second commercials to allow greater continuity Creative idea: dramatise the product superiority via a twist on a classic scenario, featuring a rat standing on a chair screaming at a pack of Talon Theme: ÒTalon is the one the rats fear mostÓ Style: model animation to avoid the turn-off factor associated with showing real rats Duration: six weeks Timing: during the key April to June quarter Geographic focus: regional markets
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