Formed during the Covid-19 pandemic, New Zealand biomedical startup Rako Science has worked hard and fast to bring 99% accurate, convenient Covid-19 testing to Aotearoa. Its product is the only diagnostically-validated saliva test available in the country and is used by workplaces, private hospitals, and individuals.
Domestic and international regulations around Covid-19 testing requirements are constantly in flux, creating a very challenging environment for businesses operating in this space. Rako Science approached us towards the end of New Zealand’s first Omicron wave. They wanted to quickly reach New Zealanders and visitors planning to take advantage of our recently reopened borders, and encourage them to ‘Test2Fly’ before leaving the country.
LAUNCHING A COVID-19 TESTING PRODUCT TO A MARKET IN FLUX
Test2Fly campaign swiftly kicks into action
Recognising that there was potentially a narrow window of time in which to promote Test2Fly before travel regulations changed, we quickly kicked into action. We defined two key audiences (family travellers and business travellers) and developed campaign messaging for each, using feedback from frontline staff and the travel industry. We recommended using fully animated video as the core campaign creative, establishing an illustrative style that would allow Rako Science to easily update personas and messaging as the market evolves.
MAKING IT COUNT
Within two weeks of campaign launch, Test2Fly bookings had increased more than tenfold.
In-channel A/B testing of the creative allowed us to iterate and upweight top-performing ads. Real-time monitoring of performance by channel enabled us to adjust media spend across the channel mix. As a result, audience engagement continued to grow strongly throughout the campaign period, culminating in an industry-busting click-through-rate of 2.4% on Facebook, and 54,000 visits to the campaign landing page.
Rako Science’s first integrated digital campaign has given them valuable detailed insight into which channels and messages are most likely to lead to bookings, and where they should direct future efforts. Their new animation style can be used to launch future campaigns in an agile way, building resilience in an ever-changing landscape.