1.Situation

In MYPRODUCT18 I detailed how starting 2010 I optimized TV campaigns to promote the Frontline Combo brand, with spectacular result at the level of  Frontline Combo’s sales and brand indicators.

2.Task

The fulfilment of this goal was permanently on my agenda of responsibilities as Commercial Director in Veteco.

If in the first phase I had arguments to extend the TV campaign period until mid-July (compared to the standard April-May), in 2014 I asked myself if it is appropriate to introduce in the communication plan a TV campaign in the second part of the year, somewhere between September and October.

3.Action

So I began to analyse the sales cycles for anti-parasitic products during one year and I found out that apart from the peak season April-May-June in figures was highlighted a second mini peak in September-October, mini-peak sales that could be boosted by a supportive Frontline Combo TV campaign.

Additionally, constancy in communication represents an essential factor for brand consolidation and including a new communication period would help us in this respect.

So in the communication plan for the 2014 Frontline Combo TV campaign, based on these tactical reasons I included a campaign flight in September.

4.Results

At the end of July 2014, a law was passed that prohibited the sale of veterinary medical products in pet shops. Given that our sales of Frontline Combo and Frontline in the pet shop segment represented a significant percentage of total anti-parasitic sales, this law has had direct and immediate consequences on our strategic and tactical plans on short term period.

One of the first consequences was that Veteco stopped from 1^st of September 2014 any sales of anti-parasites to customers from the pet shop segment.

I also reviewed the communication plans and I cancelled the TV Frontline Combo campaign from September, benefiting the fully support of McCann – our media agency – who understood the special situation our company faced.

5.Key Leanings

Marketing and communication plans must be regarded as fluid and not as fixed projections, in the sense that situations that require the radical and immediate adaptation or change of these plans may occur.

Quickly react to major or minor changes in your commercial, communication realities and adjust your plans and projects in accord with new coordinates.

Notification: MYPRODUCT reflects my real professional experience and expertise as well as my subjectivity. I do have a profound respect for all the companies I collaborated to and for all the people I worked with. It is not my intention to approach any sensitive, confidential or offending information related to companies, projects or people. If you the reader deduct or recognise companies, projects or people in my examples, I kindly ask you to respect MYPRODUCT and my professional and ethic approach and to not share any detail, information, situation, name, company.