Transforming Setbacks into Success: The Art of Creative Problem-Solving
In challenging times, it is more important than ever to stay creative and adaptable. A year following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, FTA International led a campaign entitled the ‘American Turkey Campaign’ in Colombia from September to November 2021, and demonstrated how thinking outside the box can lead to incredible results. Despite facing restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic, we were able to reach more than 32 million Colombian consumers in a matter of three months, resulting in a 339% increase in turkey sales in the U.S. How did we do it? By using a variety of innovative marketing techniques that engaged customers in fun and unique ways.
On Instagram, we created a campaign channel and our own American Turkey account, both of which registered millions of impressions and interactions: 1.3 million impressions and 42 thousand interactions and over 18 million impressions, respectively. On YouTube, we produced short, engaging content and bumper advertisements that connected consumers with local vendors, generating 8.3 million impressions with a further 800 thousand views of our video content and 490 thousand clicks and interactions. Also, since our target audience participated in streaming music far more than consuming radio, we placed radio spots and digital banners on music streaming platforms like Spotify and Deezer, producing 884 thousand media impressions.
In an effort to capitalize on the growing popularity of shopping delivery services, FTA purchased in-app advertisements, keyword search preference, and related product promotions that tied American turkey to other similar highly searched products on RAPPI, the most popular digital marketplace in Colombia. This allowed us to reach 218 thousand shoppers with immediate purchase intent. We also launched Digital Out of Home Advertisements (DOOH) advertisements in the largest malls and gym chains in Bogotá and Medellín, reaching 21 gyms and more than 70 screens between Bogotá and Medellín, yielding 4.4 million impressions via DOOH advertising. FTA International further partnered with the two largest Colombian gym chains to reach 130 thousand of their members via email marketing, resulting in over 13 thousand opens and 2 thousand click-throughs to our Instagram platform.
In-store promotions were also key to our success. Since this campaign was implemented during the height of COVID-19 restrictions, we had to be especially creative with in-store sampling promotions, which included installation of point of purchase (POP) materials in Exito, Carulla, and Pricesmart, the largest Colombian retailers. We could not hand out product, therefore we used our in-store teams to engage customers in a digital trivia game communicating the attributes of turkey in a more entertaining and unique way. Customers who won the game had the chance to win a one-year membership to one of the largest gym chains in the country. Properly sealed 15-gram turkey samples were also handed out to customers to try at home and distributed via a custom-designed mobile tasting cabinet that we could use to directly approach individual shoppers. Over 23,000 customers at 19 stores tried turkey products as a result of these in store efforts.
Leveraging the success of our in-store trivia promotion, FTA International took the trivia game to the largest gym chains in Bogotá and Medellín, approaching exercisers with the opportunity to win a one-year gym membership. Working at over 31 gym locations, we registered more than 1,000 participants who directly engaged with turkey promotions in this unique format.
Overall, despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, FTA International was able to transform the situation into an opportunity to showcase our creativity and social impact. We were determined to meet our stated goals for the campaign: develop a communication and promotion strategy to encourage the consumption of American turkey meat throughout the year in Colombia, position the American turkey meat as a product of daily consumption and not seasonal, and present the full portfolio of turkey products available to consumers, highlighting turkey as the tastiest and healthiest protein available. By adapting to the new reality and finding innovative ways to engage consumers of American turkey meat in Colombia, we met these goals with immense success, garnering 32 million impressions from Colombian consumers across several social media platforms, having Pricesmart, one of the largest retailers in Colombia, report an increase of 339% in sales over the promotion period and as a result of the campaign, and helping Carulla, another large retailer in Colombia, introduce a new turkey product nationwide in all of its locations. This is the power of creative problem-solving. By embracing setbacks and using them as a catalyst for change, companies can achieve their goals and overcome even the toughest of challenges. Next time we encounter a setback, we will not despair - instead, we will approach it with a creative and innovative mindset, and watch as it transforms into a pathway towards success.