Creative Review
OsteoBiFlex, the neckbolted wonder is shown whipping up breakfast and jogging through his suburban neighborhood.There’s something about a jogging Frankenstein with a terrycloth headband that finishes me every time. Real pain,no matter how great or small is seldom funny, but if the humor is appropriate — as in these commercials — the brand and its message become so muchmore memorable and effective.On a serious note, studies have shown that jointpain sufferers long to do the simple things in life without feeling pain, so Frank’s activities are in line with the desires of the demographic.With a tag line like “Put some life back in your joints,” I can’t wait to see howOsteoBiFlex improves Frank’s relationship with his freaky bride! Kudos to CramerKrasselt for coming up with the idea.Kudos to Rexall Sundown for going with it! John Pearson,creative director at GraficaGroup,an integrated marketing communications agency in Chester,N.J.,believes that when humor is appropriate, it becomes a truly effective tool. In a stroke of tongueincheek brilliance, Rexall Sundown’s latest spots for its jointpain relief product picked the perfect pitch man — Frankenstein.“The New Frank” features Boris Karloff’s Frankenstein groaning and struggling to rise from the mad doctor’s table. Frank is cut to a new, improved,and casually dressed man, looking eerily like a morning talk show host. “That was me … what a stiff!”Yes, the first line of copy may be a brutal pun.But Frank’s delivery is so dry and normal that by the time we see the limber Frank doing yoga, strumming a banjo, gardening,and striking tai chi poses, it becomes laughoutloud funny. In its sequel,“Frank’s Morning,”the new Frank admits,“With my stiff and aching joints I was not a morning person.”But thanks to his month’s selections showcase the creative execution of some very imaginative agencies. Through the use of humor, CramerKrasselt executed a memorable and effective campaign for its client, Rexall Sundown. By employing an unusual spokesman for its joint pain reliever OsteoBiFlex, the agency and the client make a “frank” connection with patients and nonpatients. The use of humor in pharmaceutical advertising often is challenging, but like CramerKrasselt, the consumer ad agency Deutsch Inc. rose to the occasion with its animated depiction of “digger” — the cause of onychomycosis for client Novartis.
PharmaVOICE urges everyone involved in pharmaceutical marketing to get their creative juices flowing by participating in the first ever live For Art’s Sake forum. Take a moment to submit your choice of an outstanding creative marketing execution created by a peer. (See page 49 for more details or visit iirusa.com/pharmaevent.) PharmaVOICE and the Pharmaceutical Marketers Congress hope to see you at the live event September 29, 2003, in Philadelphia. Brand:OsteoBiFlex Client: Rexall Sundown Debut: March 2003 Agency:CramerKrasselt Co. (Milwaukee) Creative Director: Mike Bednar Copywriter: Sandy DerHovsepian Art Director: Matt Herrmann Producer:Mary Pat Cupertino OsteoBiFlex T John Pearson Funny and Frank! For Art’s Sake CREATIVE review I like the new Lamisil campaign (oral treatment for onychomycosis) because it recognizes and acts on the belief that product efficacy is only the price of entry. It is no longer enough to say a brand works.Advertisers must go further, connect with the consumer,and describe why the brand is different in a meaningful, relevant, and understandable way. TheTV spot appropriately leverages the visual medium to illustrate the condition, and differentiate the product from nonsystematic solu tions.“Digger,”our animated Brand:Lamisil Client: Novartis Debut:April 2003 Agency:Deutsch Inc. Art: Michael DePirro Copy:Lisa Garrone Producer:Richard Horlick Lamisil personification of the disease,does a good job of simplifying the condition so the consumer is better educated. This positions Lamisil as the authority. By owning the condition,Lamisil is the best one to turn to for the solution. The ad uses a very traditional advertising “product/solution” formula that has proved so effective for consumer products (think,“Tide’s in, Dirt’s Out”). Since “Digger” lives “deep in the nail bed” (problem) the only way to remove him would be “through the blood stream” (the solution), versus “surface treat ments”and “clippers.” Being an “eguy,”my only wish would be for more prominence of the URL. In the print executions, the use of a more “real”or modified URL such as “save.lamisil.com”could also be more memorable than “lamisil.com/publication name.” Peter Nalen, VP of marketing and account management at SimStar,Princeton,N.J.,an emarket Peter Nalen ing agency,believes that simplifying a condition allows marketers to connect with consumers. meets pharma The Jolly Green Giant