Tottus - The Gift Card of Life
Tottus, a Peruvian supermarket chain, sought to meaningfully participate in Breast Cancer Awareness Month, moving beyond superficial 'pinkwashing' to make a tangible difference. They aimed to provide accessible healthcare to Peruvian women, addressing high costs and long waiting times, and enhance their brand's reputation for social responsibility. McCann Lima was tasked with developing this initiative.
Creative Idea
Tottus sold affordable mammogram vouchers directly in supermarkets, turning awareness into accessible action.
Tottus leveraged its supermarket infrastructure to sell affordable mammogram vouchers, directly addressing a critical healthcare access gap and cutting through superficial breast cancer awareness campaigns with tangible, life-saving utility.
Buying a Life Saving Mammogram Next to the Milk
A 540 Day Shortcut
In Peru, the public health system is notoriously strained, with women often waiting an average of 1.5 years for a mammogram. By utilizing Tottus' existing retail infrastructure, the campaign bypassed this bureaucratic bottleneck entirely. The "Gift Card of Life" turned a complex medical procedure into a point - of - sale transaction, allowing customers to secure a screening for PEN 99 (roughly $26 USD). This price point represented a staggering 80% discount compared to private clinics, effectively democratizing access to preventative care for the average shopper.
Truth to Impact Philosophy
The project was a manifestation of McCann’s "Truth to Impact" philosophy, which seeks to solve human problems through brand utility. CCO Charlie Tolmos noted that the goal was to replace superficial gifts with something of genuine value, stating that anyone could now "give a preventive checkup to the women they care about as a present." To ensure the product stood out among standard entertainment and coffee gift cards, illustrator Juampi Figueroa created a distinctive visual design featuring breast - health iconography, making the medical service feel at home on a retail shelf.
The Mechanics of Creative Commerce
This initiative is now cited as a global benchmark for Creative Commerce. It proved that a supermarket’s logistics - including its checkout systems, shelf space, and high weekly foot traffic - could be repurposed as a healthcare distribution network. Beyond the physical card, the ecosystem included a digital integration where a QR code handled scheduling with Clínica Internacional, delivering results via CD within just three business days. The film production, led by Rebeca Films and director Emiliano Cruz Lopez, captured this seamless transition from grocery shopping to life - saving action.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed
Company
Tottus leveraged its extensive supermarket network and efficient checkout system to distribute essential health services directly.
Category
The retail category often engaged in superficial 'pinkwashing' during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, lacking tangible impact beyond branding.
Customer
Peruvian consumers needed affordable, accessible healthcare options, often facing long public waiting times and expensive private clinics.
Culture
A cultural trend of skepticism towards corporate social responsibility demanded brands demonstrate genuine, practical commitment over mere rhetoric.
Company
Tottus leveraged its extensive supermarket network and efficient checkout system to distribute essential health services directly.
Category
The retail category often engaged in superficial 'pinkwashing' during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, lacking tangible impact beyond branding.
Strategy:
Democratize essential health access by integrating vital services into everyday retail channels.
Customer
Peruvian consumers needed affordable, accessible healthcare options, often facing long public waiting times and expensive private clinics.
Culture
A cultural trend of skepticism towards corporate social responsibility demanded brands demonstrate genuine, practical commitment over mere rhetoric.
Strategy:
Democratize essential health access by integrating vital services into everyday retail channels.
Results
The campaign achieved 120 million impressions. It generated 99% positive sentiment. There was a significant +300% increase in mammograms. Liana Falcon, Peruvian Oncologic Center Director, stated that this initiative demonstrates "a real commitment with the public health and with us, the women of Peru."
120M
impressions
99%
positive sentiment
+300%
increase in mammograms
Strategy Technique
Build an Utility, Not an Ad
Tottus moved beyond traditional advertising by creating a direct utility - affordable mammogram vouchers. This initiative genuinely solved a community health problem, making the brand's social impact tangible and immediate.
Explore Technique
Creative Technique
Turn Message into Product
Instead of just raising awareness, Tottus transformed the breast cancer awareness message into a tangible, purchasable mammogram voucher. This made the message actionable and directly provided a vital health service.
Explore Technique
Craft Breakdown
This campaign's craft is exceptional in its groundbreaking strategic idea, ingeniously transforming a vital medical procedure into an accessible consumer product, brilliantly executed through thoughtful design and compelling communication.
The physical manifestation of the 'Salva Vidas' gift card, its packaging, and its integration as a retail product represents exceptional product and service design that directly addresses a complex social problem.
The visual aesthetic of the 'Salva Vidas' cards and in-store displays, with their approachable colors and clear graphics, effectively normalizes the medical procedure within a consumer retail environment.
The magic of this campaign arises from the seamless synergy between an innovative social idea and its empathetic, practical execution through product design, making a life-saving solution effortlessly accessible to the public.
