Last week PMA wrapped up their Annual Marketing Conference which they held back in Chicago with the REGGIE Awards Gala Celebration. There were a total of 20 categories this year that included over 50 different campaigns. I'd like to congratulate all the finalists and especially this year's Super REGGIE winner - Leo Burnett and Walgreens for their "Arm Yourself for the Ones you Love" campaign.
The main objective of the campaign was to inspire 5 million people to get their flu shots at Walgreens which was quite a challenge given that the previous year they set an all-time record with 1 million administered flu shots. It was also to position Walgreens as the #1 retailer people think of for flu shots.
Walgreens’ mission is to help people live a “well life” every day and they want to be considered a convenient healthcare-service provider, not just a drugstore. Last year, 45% of consumers believed this about Walgreens. They wanted to raise this 5% this year to at least 50% of consumers to hold this perception.
Research uncovered a subset of untapped consumers most receptive to getting a flu shot at Walgreens: a group of women they called “Intender Moms.” These women had every intention to get a shot last year but didn’t. They were so busy doing things for others (including making sure their family got flu shots) that getting a flu shot for themselves became less of a priority. Therefore this campaign aimed to show these moms that getting the flu shot for themselves was so important to the health and well being of their families that it should be at the top of their to-do lists.
The agency used a shopper-centric approach, following moms from the broadcast media seen at home to the web, circular, outdoor and into the store to reach them with their flu shot message. Here's some of the tactics used:
- Thousands of photos of employees “showing their hearts” were used to kick off the campaign on in Times Square.
- Pharmacists gave out “I got my flu shot for _____” bandage/stickers to flu shot patients transforming them into Walgreens flu shot ambassadors when they walked out the door.
- Zoned messaging in-store let shoppers know how and where they could “arm themselves.”
- Walgreens pharmacists appeared on national TV outlets (MSNBC, CNN, etc.) administering flu shots to anchors and discussing the benefits.
- Regional print ads showcased local heroes “arming themselves.”
- Digital and social media allowed people to show their love with their network of family and friends.
- Street-level outdoor media was placed where people were most likely to be thinking about getting exposed to the flu (bus stops, airports, hospitals).
- Arm Yourself commercials brought the message to TV.
The “Arm Yourself for the Ones you Love” campaign exceeded it's goal and inspired 5.4 million people to get their flu shot in just 5 weeks. Congrats for a job well done to all involved and to PMA for hosting the REGGIES and the organization's 100 year anniversary.
As is tradition,
This year's agency of the year went to
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