A TRIP TO CVS WITH THE First Lady
/59M/
YouTube Views
/460M/
Online Impressions
/27.5M/
Broadcast Impressions
Situation
Always eager to position CVS Pharmacy in fun and strategic ways to consumer audiences, Matter developed and maintained strong relationships with The Ellen DeGeneres Show producers, allowing for occasional placements and opportunities for collaboration – including the invitation to bring a skit involving a “secret” guest shopping inside a local CVS store in Los Angeles to life.
Strategy
While the identity of the guest was not released before the shoot, Matter was able to deduce her to be Michelle Obama through due diligence of asking the right questions to producers and reviewing The Ellen Show’s social channels for upcoming guest hints. This, coupled with the fact that FLOTUS had whimsically talked about wanting to be able to do simple things like go shopping at CVS after leaving the White House, allowed our team to provide CVS stakeholders with enough information to get the approvals needed to film in-store and work through layers of coordination with many stakeholders to execute a fun segment that would have maximum pop culture impact.
Results
Not only were our clients at CVS Pharmacy ecstatic with the results, as the skit was memorable for everyone who watched, but in the months following celebrities would later mention Ellen’s skit with FLOTUS as guests on the show, continuing to give the segment new life even before it started showing up as a popular re-run. Media outlets from CNN, TIME, The Today Show and Yahoo!, to Elle, US Weekly, Essence, People and Entertainment Weekly covered the visit – and the experience landed in the Obama White House’s final “Year in Photos”.