Felix wants to change the narrative around weight loss with an integrated media campaign that includes a bigger investment in OOH advertising. The brand is launching a campaign at Toronto’s Bloor-Yonge TTC station and on the city’s streetcars to remind people that it’s okay to ask for help.

“We have done some modest OOH in the past, but for the recent weight loss campaign OOH had a more prominent role with extensive reach in Toronto and GTA,” the brand explains.

The campaign is an effort to highlight the company’s weight loss platform, which offers prescription medications, recommended lifestyle changes and personalized online support from healthcare professionals. The media plan also includes streaming platforms such as YouTube and Crave, as well as social media. Felix managed the media buying and creative work, while Santis Health is running public relations.

Mark Chiarcossi, CMO at Felix, tells Media in Canada that the team wanted to develop a campaign that would reach people at multiple potential touch points throughout their daily routine.

“This is an integrated campaign spanning mass awareness channels and targeted channels. While awareness is a key metric, we also wanted to balance our awareness-building efforts with functional channels to help make it easy for people to flow through the full funnel,” Chiarcossi says. “From YouTube and Instagram to subway station takeovers to Crave TV, the campaign is everywhere.”

According to Chiarcossi, one in four Canadian adults are overweight. One solution to effectively manage weight is by addressing biological factors, in addition to healthy lifestyle changes. However, most people are unaware of this and feel fear and embarrassment about seeking help from a professional, says Chiarcossi. By ending the discomfort that keeps people from looking for the treatment they need, Felix can better position its weight loss platform, he says.

Chiarcossi adds that the campaign marks a shift in the brand’s marketing strategy, which has previously focused on emphasizing the convenience of its business, such as the ability to avoid waiting rooms and receive prescription medicines online. While these benefits continue to distinguish Felix from the competition, he says the company also needs to address the biases about weight reduction that prevent Canadians from talking to doctors and therefore using the platform.

The campaign also continues to build on Felix’s roots as a brand that offers everything from diagnosis to prescription in areas of health that tend to be stigmatized, Chiarcossi notes. In addition to weight loss, Felix offers treatments for mental health, menopause, skin care and sexual health.