SUGAR REHAB

TitleSUGAR REHAB
BrandDIABETES FOUNDATION NETHERLANDS
Product/ServiceNON PROFIT
Category B08. Events & Stunts
Entrant HAVAS LEMZ Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
Idea Creation HAVAS LEMZ Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
PR DIABETES FOUNDATION NETHERLANDS Amersfoort, THE NETHERLANDS
Production HAVAS LEMZ Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS
Credits
Name Company Position
Havas Lemz Havas Lemz Creatieve agency

The Campaign

We introduced a radical idea: the world’s first Sugar Rehab Clinic, a story that news outlets all over the country (and the world) were eager to cover. A real clinic in the heart of Amsterdam - for everyone to enter, at no cost. To start any rehab, the first step is to acknowledge your unhealthy habits. So we designed an interactive body scan (with XBOX Kinekt technology) where visitors could find out if the were in fact addicted to sugar and experience the negative effects too much sugar can have on the body. We also introduced visitors to the 50 alternative names for sugar that manufacturers use to conceal sugar in products. Before leaving the clinic people signed our petition, later to be handed over to our the Dutch Secretary of Health.

Execution

Phase 1: For maximal launch impact we arranged an exclusive news item with RTL’s morning TV news program. Directly afterwards, the story about the opening of the Clinic was released to all news media outlets. Phase 2: We launched a petition calling on the Minister of Health to force manufacturers to reduce the amount of sugar they put in our foods. Phase 3: We launched a press release about how sugar affects children. Phase 4: We invited all stakeholders; manufacturers, scientist and the government, to talk about the steps we need to take together to reduce the sugar consumption in the Netherlands. The campaign ran for five weeks. The clinic opened its doors in Amsterdam, attracting people from across the country.

Tier 1. The message spread like wildfire, covered by all national news outlets in all media. Online video ads and social media brought the idea to an even larger audience. The story had a combined reach of 18 million, of which 47% was generated by PR with a value of €2.8 million. The media attention was supportive of the idea, strengthening our message. Tier 2. The campaign serves as an effective wake up call for all Dutch people; Within one week over 7.500 people visit the clinic deliberately Active discussion on social media #mindersuiker Average reading time advertorials over 1 minute Within 2 weeks over 14.000 likes Facebook engagement rate far above average with 4% In total the campaign resulted in 300.000 activities (user initiated video views, page likes, post likes, website clicks, article reads) Tier 3. Government and industry (including sugar lobby) value Diabetes Foundation as the pioneer of the subject. Due to all the media attention and even political pressure, a number of major players in the food industry stepped up to the challenge and started collaborations with the Diabetes Foundation to develop solutions for a healthier future.

The Situation

To reach millions with an unpopular message effectively, we needed a disruptive yet trustworthy idea and media approach. Therefore we choose PR as our main touch point. We let the press tell our story and use the public opinion as leverage.

The Strategy

The campaign aimed to reach everyone in the Netherland who has an unconscious sugar addiction (80%) via national news media. With this strategy, the food industry could not miss this provoking move. In the press release, the Diabetes Foundation called them out to take their responsibility. We kicked off with an exclusive news scoop with Holland’s major news outlet RTL. All other news & popular media quickly followed suit: TV, radio, print etc. To maintain ongoing attention for the Sugar Rehab Clinic, we created targeted press stories, with new angles for selected media outlets. Building on the momentum, an urgent petition was presented to the government. As a final step, the Diabetes Foundation reached out to major players in the food industry, to develop real solutions together.