By: Deepa Venkatesan

Pharma brand Brunet recently launched a new campaign that combines custom radio content with a unique ad-free broadcast sponsorship.

Brunet has been integrated into the recently launched Quebec drive-home show, Véronique et les fantastiques, which runs from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. weekdays on Bell Media station Rouge FM.

The Les fantastiques concept was originally created around host Éric Salvail in the fall of 2015 (and aired on Énergie Radio before moving to Rouge). Since Salvail stepped down last year, Les fantastiques has been without a regular host until the recent casting of longtime radio and TV presenter Véronique Cloutier.

Bell Media’s brand partnerships and media creativity teams added a character dubbed a “Fantastique pharmacienne” (fantastic pharmacist) who joined the show for a live discussion on a variety of health issues on the premiere episode.

The sponsorship also includes an ad-free first hour for the show. It’s a similar model to a campaign launched last year by the Quebec Toyota Dealers Association, which saw the association sponsor a run of ad-free episodes of SRC’s hit linear TV series, District 31.

A representative of Bell Media, parent company of Rouge Radio, told MiC that the much-anticipated arrival of Cloutier to the airwaves would be a great opportunity to deliver an extended ad-free segment.

“We knew listeners would want as much time with her as possible for the show’s kickoff,” they said. “[The extra time] allowed Véronique and her fantastique [co-host] to introduce listeners to the show while positioning Brunet as a partner that helps listeners get exactly what they want.”

Beyond the custom radio content and the ad-free sponsorship, the campaign also includes five 10-second audio ads, in which Brunet publicizes the new responsibilities of pharmacists and the services they are able to provide following the provincial legislative changes made in the last few years. Also included is integration into the show’s Facebook page, display ads on the show’s web page and shareable online content. Brunet worked with PHD on the campaign.

The two-week campaign kicked off on Aug. 27. Preliminary Numeris results showed a total reach of 372,300 listeners for the first week.