Abbott Similac: Real Mothers Reintroduce Gain IQ

Cambodia's infant milk formula category is crowded with more than 40 competing brands, and Similac Gain IQ had lost visibility. The April 2022 announcement of an upgraded formula with new ingredients and enhanced benefits was the moment to regain it.

The brand needed to attract new users and win a bigger share of the conversation while making sure loyal customers understood the new formula. In a category where trust is everything, that meant rebuilding credibility, not just awareness.

Ruder Finn Era grounded the campaign in consumer insight: Cambodian mothers trust other mothers more than celebrities. The team centred the campaign on real Cambodian mothers sharing authentic experiences, replacing celebrity KOLs with voices audiences recognised as their own.

A word-of-mouth seeding programme put those mothers at the heart of the launch, with 40 posts in which real mums advocated the product's benefits and engaged in conversation with existing and prospective users. An augmented reality filter gave the announcement a playful, shareable dimension and a lead-generation mechanic captured interest directly.

Authentic advocacy strengthened brand trust and returned Similac to the centre of the category conversation.