Who: Ricola, with independent agency Fuse Create for market strategy, creative, and PR; with additional support from Hire influence for influencer relations.
What: The U.S. launch of new product, Ricola Throat Balm, with a campaign that encourages consumers to “Coat Your Throat.” Ricola Throat Balm is the newest product to further the brand’s “everyday voice” positioning since the launch of the Honey Lemon Menthol Centres lozenge with the accompanying “It’s good to have Ricola at the ready” campaign in 2021.
When & Where: The “Coat Your Throat” campaign is live now on TV, online video, social and OOH, plus country-wide sampling. The campaign is backed by celebrity creator content, including YouTubers Harry Mack, Good Mythical Morning, podcaster Jenna Kutcher, and TikTok personality Dancing Newscaster.
Why: Ricola aims to disrupt the seasonal nature of its purchase cycle to effectively shift its efficacy message from cough and sore throat relief to everyday care. By partnering with YouTube creators for the first time, the brand is able to leverage storytelling to demonstrate how this product can be used every day to soothe minor irritations, but also prevent them.
How (the strategy): “The main focus when it came to influencers was the power of storytelling,” says Ricola account lead at Fuse Create, Lily Ljubicic. “[The influencers] all have this commonality of using their voice in their every day. So whether they’re a fitness instructor, a teacher, a podcaster—it was people who could lead by example in talking about the need to keep their voice strong, in everything that they do, and that comes down to daily use with this product.”
A part of the storytelling is how they made [the product] a part of a routine,” says executive creative director at Fuse Create, Steve Miller. This product can be worked into any kind of lifestyle, and it can be used in prevention, not just for a solution.”
How (the creative): The 15-second brand spot utilizes 3D animation, which is new for the brand. “A traditional TV ad [for a cough drop] would picture someone literally coughing on camera,”says Ljubicic. “So to really make sure we’re emphasizing an everyday use over those severe coughs and colds, we really leaned into an ingredient story. So our entire TV spot in that CGI world is really celebrating the liquid honey and caramel ingredients that make this product stand out different from its cough and cold line.”
And we quote: “In listening to consumers’ needs when it came to throat care, we saw that they were seeking a solution for minor yet pesky throat irritations. We’ve introduced a solution that gives consumers the confidence that they’re protected against everything from a throat tickle to constant throat irritations.” —Becky Spruck, marketing director at Ricola, USA.
