When social media became popular in Mexico, people dressed as Doctor Simi mascots, famous for dancing outside the chain’s pharmacies, were the butt of jokes on the internet. On platforms like YouTube, videos of people pushing and pulling the costumed entertainers for fun were shared. However, in the last decade, the public perception of Doctor Simi changed radically: now these characters receive affection, respect and value, as demonstrated by numerous photos and videos on social media of artists receiving stuffed animals from the public. The success of the phenomenon has led Farmacias Similares to create Simi Fest, a music festival that defines itself as “for a social cause” where the famous bald and mustachioed character is the central figure.
The origin of an empire
The history of Farmacias Similares is linked to that of its founder, Víctor González Torres, who inherited the entrepreneurial spirit of his father, Roberto González Terán, founder of Laboratorios Best. The entry into force of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994 allowed González Torres to found his company, focused on the sale of generic drugs. These products, up to 75% cheaper than their brand-name equivalents, became the best option for millions of low-income people unable to afford their treatments with patented medicines. The entrepreneurial gene remained throughout the family, as González Torres was not the only one to stand out in this field. His brother, Jorge González Torres, founded the Green Ecologist Party of Mexico (PVEM) and was a presidential candidate in 1994, while Javier González Torres is the owner of Farmacias Fénix and Laboratorios IGFA. Another of his brothers, Enrique González Torres, is a priest and was rector of the Universidad Iberoamericana.
Doctor Simi is the central figure of the Farmacias Similares business. The character, a good-natured doctor with a moustache and a lab coat, is based on Joaquín Pardavé, an actor from the golden age of Mexican cinema. And although at first Víctor Torres and Doctor Simi were one and the same, after the businessman unsuccessfully ran as an independent candidate for the presidency of Mexico in 2006, he gradually moved away from the spotlight and distanced himself from the figure he had created.
The duality of Similar Pharmacies
In 1999, Víctor González Torres decided to divide his company, Corporativo por un País Mejor, into two branches: commercial companies and social companies. While Farmacias Similares consolidated itself as a leader in the sale of generic drugs, various foundations emerged under its umbrella, such as the National Anti-Corruption Movement and the Doctor Simi Foundation. These organizations, which helped legitimize the company’s mission of helping those most in need in the public eye, gave way to the creation of clinics adjacent to pharmacies, a successful low-cost primary care scheme that is reproduced throughout the country and where, according to the company, they serve an average of seven million Mexicans a month.
According to The Financier, In 2019, before the pandemic, Farmacias Similares generated almost 69 billion pesos in sales through its 6,400 branches in Mexico. Today, with more than 9,600 pharmacies in Mexico, Chile and Colombia, it is the second largest pharmacy chain in the world by points of sale, only behind Walgreens Boots Alliance.
Social media in the popularity of Doctor Simi
The notoriety of Farmacias Similares and Doctor Simi is not limited to their pharmacies and offices. Social media played a crucial role in their growth. Viral videos of dancing mascots, and more recently, the trend of throwing Doctor Simi stuffed animals at artists at concerts, have been essential to the brand’s visibility. The phenomenon began at the Corona Capital 2021 festival, when a young woman threw a stuffed animal at singer Aurora during her performance. Since then, the practice has spread around the world to concerts by artists such as Adele, Karol G, and Coldplay.
Manufactured in Cholula, Puebla, by the textile company Cinia, which employs people with intellectual disabilities, the stuffed animals serve a dual function: in addition to promoting the brand, they generate income that supports young people with special needs and, according to the company, their purchase “contributes to environmental and social causes through the Simi Planeta Foundation.” Currently, Farmacias Similares is run by Víctor González Herrera, the founder’s son. Under his leadership, the brand has expanded through marketing strategies uncommon in the Mexican industry, including both the dissemination of social responsibility campaigns and the exploitation of the popular stuffed animals.
González Herrera’s strategy of combining business with social causes has worked and is well received by the public. The company capitalizes on this image through various initiatives, such as Similandia, a store that combines the sale of Doctor Simi merchandise with virtual reality experiences and environmental education. Similandia is a reminder of the omnipresence of Doctor Simi in Mexican culture. The store offers a wide variety of products, from stuffed animals in different versions—boxer, astronaut, firefighter, Saint Jude Thaddeus, or the famous Chavo del Ocho—to toys, puzzles, and school supplies. In addition, it has a room where the company’s efforts to care for the environment are projected.
Simi Fest: from pharmacies to the stages
The popularity of the Dr. Simi stuffed animals at concerts has only been going on for three years, but their impact is such that this year the company decided to create Simi Fest, a festival that will take place on November 23 and where, in addition to artists Anderson .Paak and the Free Nationals, Jungle, Motel, Ely Guerra, Technicolor Fabrics and Ruzzi, Víctor González Herrera himself will have a special appearance. According to the company, the proceeds from the festival will go to the reforestation efforts of its foundations.
“Simifest has an environmental purpose,” explained Victor Gonzalez Herrera at a press conference. “For each ticket sold, a life bomb will be generated that will be launched during the rainy season; this innovative reforestation method consists of throwing spheres made of clay, soil, compost and seeds from small planes to restore hard-to-reach areas more effectively.” Simi Fest is the latest example of how the brand uses its presence on and off social media to create experiences, which at the same time they use to amplify their social arm. Tickets for the festival, which will take place in Bicentennial Park, an open-air space north of the capital, can already be purchased online for 1,645 pesos (about $84).
Sign up for the free EL PAÍS Mexico newsletter and to WhatsApp channel and receive all the latest news on current events in this country.
