The challenge
Boots approached EdComs to help them with a range of communications objectives:
- To promote sun-safety messages to primary-school children via a children's storybook. These messages can then be reinforced by parents, teachers or Boots sun-care consultants.
- To reinforce Boots' expertise in sun-care advice, and trust in Boots as a provider of this information.
- To promote the Boots brand (specifically the Soltan brand) to families and teachers.
- To generate content that will achieve regional and national PR.
Our approach
EdComs wrote, illustrated and produced an original children's story about sun safety, using the existing Sunshine Sam character as a central focus.
- We produced a 'big book' for Boots sun-care consultants and teachers to use for storytelling.
- We printed smaller storybooks for giveaways and general promotion.
- An online interactive whiteboard version for schools was created for use in the classroom, with a voice-over from Edith Bowman. A CD-ROM version was also produced for consultants.
- A school assembly slide presentation was created for Boots consultants to use in schools.
- We produced a promotional mailer to heads of each of the UK and Republic of Ireland primary schools.
The education resources fed in seamlessly to a Sunshine Sam campaign featuring a competition on the Nick Jr TV channel.
Outcomes
Research in summer 2009 found that the Sunshine Sam resources were overwhelmingly popular with teachers. This prompted suggestions for a potential extensive follow-up campaign in 2010.
It was estimated that the online reach of children in schools using the Sunshine Sam materials was approximately 55,000 children.
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