CAMPAIGN NAME

The Don't Die Bag

CATEGORY

Best of Europe: Influencer Marketing

CLIENT

Dr. Max

LEAD AGENCY

THIS IS LOCCO

CONTRIBUTING AGENCY

GROOW DIGITAL

CAMPAIGN DESCRIPTION

Slovakia is a small Central European country of 5.4 million people, where price sensitivity is particularly high, especially during Black Friday. Consumers expect deep discounts, and most brands respond with aggressive, urgency-driven messaging. The pharmacy sector is no exception.

Dr. Max, the market leader both offline and online, faced the challenge of standing out in this crowded landscape without relying on the same price-driven tactics. At the same time, pharmacy advertising in Slovakia remains highly rational and conservative, often failing to engage younger audiences.

To break these conventions, Dr. Max partnered with ZOMRI, the country’s most followed political meme page, known for its dark humor and strong connection with younger generations. Together, they tapped into internet culture to create a campaign that felt unexpected, bold, and culturally relevant.

THE CHALLENGE

Dr. Max is Slovakia’s largest pharmacy chain, with over 370 stores and a leading e-commerce platform. While highly trusted, particularly among older audiences, its relevance among younger consumers was declining.

At the same time, the digital pharmacy space became increasingly competitive, especially during Black Friday. Despite its year-round leadership, Dr. Max dropped to second place the previous year as competitors pushed aggressive discounts and media spend.

In a category dominated by rational, price-driven communication, most campaigns focus on ingredients and promotions, making the space predictable and easy to ignore. As a result, Gen Z and Millennials have largely disengaged, seeking brands that offer personality, storytelling, and cultural relevance.

Faced with this, Dr. Max chose not to compete on price, but to pivot strategically, targeting younger audiences through a culturally driven approach.

The challenge was clear:

• Capture the attention of a skeptical, ad-resistant audience
• Compete during the most price-sensitive moment of the year
• Drive online sales without relying on deep discounts

STRATEGIC APPROACH AND EXECUTION

They turned Slovakia’s most iconic meme, “ZOMRI” (“DIE”), into its opposite: “NEZOMRI” (“DON’T DIE”). A simple linguistic flip became the foundation for a bold strategic leap.

Instead of promoting immunity products through traditional pharmacy messaging, they transformed them into a culturally relevant object: the Don’t Die Bag. Co-created with meme platform ZOMRI, it combined Dr. Max products with the look and feel of internet merch.

They didn’t advertise vitamins, they created something people wanted to wear, share, and talk about.
They embedded the brand into culture.

The campaign was built around a single hero asset: a limited-edition tote filled with immunity products, sold at full price on the Dr. Max e-shop and positioned as a seasonal, ironic gift.

Execution was driven by authenticity and shareability:

• Launched organically via ZOMRI’s social channels in its native meme language
• Supported by a dedicated landing page and on-site integration
• Amplified through community seeding, influencer gifting, and earned media.