The Doc is in! Check out how this campaign taught children to value their and other people’s health. [Thursdays: Gorillas of Guerrilla Marketing]
Miles Everson’s Business Builder Daily speaks to the heart of what great marketers, business leaders, and other professionals need to succeed in advertising, communications, managing their investments, career strategy, and more.
A Note from Miles Everson:
Guerrilla Marketing is a cost-effective marketing tactic that uses unconventional and inventive ideas to get exposure for a product or brand.
This is one of the things that I believe can help you engage with your target market and get them to talk about your business.
Have you tried guerrilla marketing in the past? If you haven’t yet and you think it’s suitable for your brand’s image, I suggest that you try conducting one in the future. This will do wonders in increasing awareness about your brand and boosting your engagement rates.
Here’s an example of a great guerrilla marketing strategy.
Continue reading to know how a children’s TV channel taught kids about the value of taking care of themselves and others.
Miles Everson
CEO, MBO Partners
Chairman of the Advisory Board, The I Institute
Gorillas of Guerrilla Marketing
Disney Jr. is an American pay television network owned by the Walt Disney Television unit of The Walt Disney Company.
As a TV channel aimed mainly at children who are 2 to 7 years old, Disney Jr. broadcasts cartoon shows such as:
- Sofia the First
- PJ Masks
- Muppet Babies
- Alice’s Wonderland Bakery
- T.O.T.S.
- Puppy Dog Pals
… and more.
Did you know that in 2013, one of Disney Jr.’s shows brought its main character to life through a guerrilla marketing campaign that aimed to teach children the value of taking care of their and others’ health?
That TV show is…
Doc McStuffins!
“Doc McStuffins” is a 5-season children’s TV series that started in 2012 and ended in 2015. It is about Dottie “Doc” McStuffins, a 6-year old girl who deeply cares for stuffed animals and toys in her playhouse clinic.
Stuffed animals? Toys? Non-living things?
Well, deeply caring for non-living things might sound weird but wait, there’s more.
Every time Doc puts on her stethoscope, something magical happens: All the toys, dolls, and stuffed animals come to life!
Like any other doctor, Doc has assistants helping her out in her playhouse clinic―Stuffy, the exceedingly confident dragon; Lambie, the cuddly lamb best friend; and Hallie, the caring hippo nurse.
Whether it’s loose stitching, low batteries, or a blow-up toy that has a leak, Doc and her friends are there to fix those toys.
The first season of “Doc McStuffins” earned good reception from parents and children alike. The show got 4.4 out of 5 stars in public ratings, and a lot of parents said they liked it when their kids watched “Doc McStuffins” because it taught compassion, kindness, and imagination.
So, when the second season was about to be released in 2013, Disney Jr. created a guerrilla marketing campaign to increase awareness about the next chapter of the show.
What was that campaign?
The “Doc McStuffins Check-up Clinic!”
Conceptualized with the help of London-based marketing agency Hotcow, the kiddie clinic gave children a chance to personally experience what they were watching on TV.
Here’s what happened:
The campaign team set up “Doc McStuffins” clinics in 3 core retailers in the UK―Tesco’s, Smyths, and Toys R Us. Kids were then invited to come to the clinic and take the role of Doc to diagnose and treat giant teddy bear Big Ted’s “ouchie” symptoms.
Each kid had a 10-minute immersive experience as Doc.
Once the kids were done conducting a full check-up on Big Ted and treating his “health concerns,” they received their own “Doc McStuffins” certificates and “Doc is in the house” door hangers.
Good job, little Docs!
Additionally, the clinics had waiting rooms that were full of fun and color. Little Docs in waiting played with “Doc McStuffins” merchandise, received free coloring materials and puzzle sheets, and took part in stretch-and-flex entertainment.
The campaign team also provided a TV zone for those in line to sit back, relax, and watch clips and music videos from the show.
Through these alternative activities, other kids kept themselves occupied with other fun “Doc McStuffins”-related stuff while waiting for their turn to be Doc.
Was the “Doc McStuffins Check-up Clinic” campaign effective?
The kiddie clinics lasted for 20 days. Many parents from all over the UK brought their kids and went to either Tesco’s, Smyths, or Toys R Us to experience the campaign and have fun.
Here are the results recorded after the duration of the campaign:
- Over 7,700 children experienced being Doc and having fun at the “Doc McStuffins” clinics.
- 75% of parents whose kids interacted with the campaign rated the experience as “excellent.”
- 87% of parents who accompanied their children said they would recommend watching the second season of “Doc McStuffins.”
- Merchandise sales for “Doc McStuffins” increased by 5.3% after the campaign.
Based on these figures, you can see that the check-up clinics effectively helped Disney Jr. and the “Doc McStuffins” show to reach their target audience.
A round of applause for the whole campaign team!
—
The check-up clinic campaign worked well because of three reasons:
First, the campaign team was aware that a lot of kids love role playing. By bringing the “Doc McStuffins” show to life, the team enabled the children to know and experience what it feels like to be in the shoes of one of the characters they watch on TV.
Second, there was never a dull moment at the clinics. Even kids who were in queues didn’t feel bored.
Why?
The campaign team knew the clinics couldn’t accommodate a lot of children all at the same time. So, to address that concern, they made sure every waiting station had fun activities in store for every kid.
Third, the campaign taught children to value everyone’s health. By allowing them to channel their inner little Docs, the check-up clinics showed them that exercising care for their and others’ overall well-being has long-term positive impacts.
These show that creating fun, engaging, and effective guerrilla marketing campaigns entail knowing your target audience, being one step ahead of your plans, and having a lesson or call-to-action to leave your customers and prospects with.
Get inspired with the Doc McStuffins Check-up Clinics!
As you plan your guerrilla marketing strategy, make sure every point of your campaign provides your target market with a fun time, positive experience, and lasting impression.
Have fun strategizing and executing your own campaign!
(This article is from The Business Builder Daily, a newsletter by The I Institute in collaboration with MBO Partners.)
About The Dynamic Marketing Communiqué’s
“Thursdays: Gorillas of Guerrilla Marketing”
Jay Conrad Levinson (1984) said that Guerrilla Marketing “works because it’s simple to appreciate, easy to execute, and inexpensive.”
Guerrilla Marketing is unconventional.
Looking beyond the traditional ways of advertising, marketers, and advertisers need to spice things up in order for their brand to have campaigns that not only make an impact but also stick to their target market’s mind.
Guerrilla Marketing usually aims to have direct contact with consumers.
This type of direct contact should spark an emotional reaction that leads to consumers effectively remembering the brand.
It’s about making a big impression and making that impression last a long time (if not forever).
Guerrilla Marketing can be inexpensive.
The effect of this is being able to create a buzz around the brand, and the strategy used to market it. Almost everything is passed around through word-of-mouth.
Word-of-mouth is one of the greatest outcomes and it usually doesn’t cost anything.
This is every business’ or brand’s dream!
Every Thursday, we publish tips, examples, and other useful content on unconventional ways of marketing and promotion.
Learn more about how to grab your target market’s attention and make an amazing first and lasting impression without having to spend a lot of money.
Businesses don’t really need to spend much for a guerrilla campaign. You do not need a big budget to be successful. You just need creativity and a good imagination.
Hope you’ve found this week’s guerrilla marketing insight interesting and helpful.
Stay tuned for next Thursday’s Gorillas of Guerrilla Marketing!
Cheers,
Kyle Yu
Head of Marketing
Valens Dynamic Marketing Capabilities
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