Wampole

Situation:

Wampole is one of the oldest vitamin and herbal health brands in Canada. The company was purchased by Novopharm and they wanted to rejuvenate and relaunch the brand.

The herbal line of products offers alternative remedies to common ailments, however, the government does not allow pharmaceutical brands to claim benefits in consumer communications. It’s either advertise the brand without a claim, or make a claim, without mentioning or showing the brand.

Insight:

Contrary to our assumptions, we found through research that a majority of people considered herbals to be about as effective as snake oil. So with that information in hand, we investigated true, yet bizarre folk remedies and their health claims and suggested Wampole Herbals as an effective alternative, thus safely navigating around government regulations and audience beliefs.

Execution:

Packaging, Print, TV, Direct Mail, Collateral, POS displays, Promotion, Couponing.

To add credibility to the brand, and through a partnership with Reader’s Digest we produced a book, “The Wampole Family Guide to Nutritional Supplements” that went out to the Reader’s Digest subscription list.

Effects:

The target audience’s attitudes and behaviour shifted positively, resulting in a marked sales increase. Market share increased substantially over a 3-year period resulting in the company being sold at a premium.