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Viagra and Boniva were two standout campaigns to our marketing experts, for DTC Perspectives’ annual Creative Critique. Jonathan Isaacs of Ogilvy Healthworld and John J. Nosta of Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide explain how sometimes the simple and subtle approaches in marketing can create a stronger, longer-lasting impact with consumers. Following are their respective reviews. Viagra: ‘The Age of Knowing’
quite.sure.how.to.feel.about.sex.One.minute.we.hypersexual- ize.everything.(Hannah.Montana.has.turned.into.Cherry.For- ever.and.the.new.GQ.features.two.actresses.from.“Glee,”.one.
Much.like.the.male.sexual.psyche.itself,.Viagra.cam- in.a.Catholic.school.skirt.so.short.it.qualifies.as.plaid.dental.
paigns.are.a.mass.of.strange.and.occasionally.baffling.
floss,.the.other.in.white.panties.with.her.legs.spread).The.next.
contradictions.On.the.one.hand,.the.brand.has.all.
minute,.we.act.like.we.landed.in.Plymouth,.Mass.,.last.Thurs- the. fixin’s. for. creative. greatness. Viagra. is. the. most. famous,.
day. What. kind. of. advertising. do. you. do. when. the. country.
iconic,. blue. chip. pharmaceutical. brand. ever.. It. has. embedded.
says,.“Please.don’t.run.your.spots.before.10.pm.because.when.
itself. into. our. collective. social. consciousness. for. all. eternity,.
I’m.watching.Jack.Bauer.waterboard.a.narco-terrorist.with.the.
and.every.creative.in.the.world.would.love.a.crack.at.working.
kids,. I. don’t. want. them. exposed. to. inappropriate. adult. con- on.it.On.the.other.hand,.I.can’t.think.of.a.more.impressive.
tent.”.I.don’t.care.what.brand.you.work.on,.a.monster.cultural.
leader. brand. with. a. less. meaningful. or. lasting. body. of. work.
disconnect.like.that.wreaks.havoc.on.your.strategy,.your.cre- ativity,. probably. your. sanity,. and. it’s. a. battle. you. really. can’t.
Ironically,. the. one. truly. brilliant. Viagra. idea. came. before.
the. brand. even. existed. It. was. inventing. the. ED. category. in.
the. first. place. Pfizer. did. a. superlative. job. of. educating. the.
“Cue Viagra’s new campaign,
public.and.using.Bob.Dole.(war.hero,.senator,.dignity.on.two.
‘The Age of Knowing.’ The
legs).to.destigmatize.the.conversation.around.male.sexual.dys- idea is so simple, it’s almost
function.Then.things.got.complicated.
subversive: When life throws
Impact of differing societal views
Now.there.are.some.plausible.explanations.for.the.creative.
you a curve ball, you just…
morass. that. followed. Bob. Viagra. has. always. been. a. politi- DEAL WITH IT.”
cal,. financial. and. cultural. lightning. rod,. attracting. all. sorts. of.
– Jonathan Isaacs, chIef creatIve offIcer at ogIlvy
wanted.and.unwanted.attention.To.me,.the.cultural.aspect.is.
healthworld
the.most.consequential.factor.because.America.has.never.been.
DTC Perspectives • December 2010 | 25 fall,. simply. as. a. result. of. the. fracture!. The. BONIVA. story. is.
Unless. you. stop. making. it. about. sex. Get. your. troops. up.
all. about. power. and. the. restoration. and. preservation. of. bone.
to.the.embassy.roof,.get.on.the.last.chopper.and.get.the.hell.
strength. –. but. it. doesn’t. hit. you. over. the. head. with. “power.
out.of.that.conversation.Which.Brings.Us.Back.To.Dole.
graphics”.or.frightening.imagery.of.broken.bones.and.broken.
lives.The.series.of.BONIVA.DTC.advertisements.provides.an.
Finally,.mercifully,.some.planner.at.the.new.agency.got.an.
interesting. use. of. powerful. communications. that. underscore.
A.on.their.history.homework.and.realized.that.Viagra,.like.the.
this.strength.And.it’s.this.power.that.is.disguised.artfully.across.
NFL.or.Chevy.or.the.Marines,.has.always.been.a.quintessen- a.variety.of.communication.elements.It’s.these.elements.that,.
tially.true-blue.American.male.brand.It.isn’t.about.sex.It.isn’t.
taken.together,.build.a.brand.that.offers.the.strength.that.this.
about.mumbling.your.way.through.a.conversation.with.your.
doctor. about. wanting. to. have. sex. It’s. about. being. a. MAN.
The power of the name
A. red-blooded-iron-jawed-keep-your-pie-hole-shut-your- The.brand.name.sets.the.stage.for.BONIVA.and.really.says.
feelings-to-yourself-and-get-things-done.man.
it.all.Bone.The.linguistic.analysis.points.right.to.a.statement.
A reflection of real men
of.indication.and.to.efficacy.This.drug.treats.your.bones.It’s.
Cue.Viagra’s.new.campaign,.“The.Age.of.Knowing.”.The.
simple,.it’s.a.single.word.and.it’s.easy.to.remember.But.there’s.
idea.is.so.simple,.it’s.almost.subversive:.You.are.a.stand-up.guy.
more. that. lies. beneath. the. surface. The. word. structure. itself.
who’s.been.around.the.block.a.few.times.So.when.life.throws.
provides.an.interesting.word.play.If.you.switch.the.two.sylla- you.a.curve.ball,.you.just….get.ready.people….DEAL.WITH.
bles.around.–.IVA.and.BONE,.you.loosely.construct.the.cen- IT.It’s.so.bloody.obvious,.at.first.it.makes.you.think.it.can’t.
tral.claim:.“I.HAVE.BONE.”.The.name.is.simply.perfect.and.
be.right.But.it.makes.complete.sense.Men.don’t.like.to.talk.
provides. the. backbone. (I. couldn’t. resist). for. the. promotional.
about.their.problems.and.who.among.us.hasn’t.imagined.being.
development.The.color.adds.to.the.structure.of.the.story.It’s.
a.world.weary.Sam.Elliot.or.Clint.Eastwood? solid.and.strong.with.a.sans.serif.typeface.And.when.the.name.
The. campaign. kind. of. combines. both. The. TV. and. print.
isn’t. presented. in. logo. form,. BONIVA. is. always. represented.
show. weathered. guys. handling. whatever. is. in. front. of. them.
in.the.more.powerful.all-cap.style.Now,.a.bit.of.a.divergence.
with.lines.like,.“This.is.the.age.of.knowing.what.you’re.made.
begins.We.see.in.the.logo,.the.human.form.standing.in.con- of,”. or. “Men. don’t. look. for. excuses. They. just. get. things.
trast. to. the. powerful. name. and. typography. The. icon. clearly.
done.”. The. executions. are. modern. and. clean. (with. a. Viagra.
represents.the.human.form.in.a.unique.motion.style.But.take.
blue.tint),.the.type.is.strong.and.the.message.is.clear.ED.is.a.
a. closer. look. There. is. no. fear. of. falling. here. And. the. icon.
challenge.like.any.other.You.don’t.have.to.feel.bad.about.it.
appears.to.be.moving.beyond.a.simple.step.and.more.into.the.
Or.awkward.Or.insecure.ED.doesn’t.make.you.less.of.a.man.
lofty.realm.of.flight.But.more.about.flying.later.
Not doing something about ED makes you less of a man. You.need.
to.take.action.‘cause.that’s.what.men.do.
“It’s these elements [in
What.real.man.would.argue.with.that?.‘Nuff.said.
BONIVA’s advertising] that,
BONIVA: Subtle Branding With a
taken together, build a brand
Powerful Message
that offers the strength that
this fearful and aging consumer
needs.”
ne.word.starts.us.on.our.brand.journey:.BONIVA.
A. single. word. that. sets. in. motion. a. cascade. of.
– John J. nosta, creatIve offIcer at ogIlvy
influence. that. established. a. powerful. brand. Simple.
commonhealth worldwIde
imagery.and.associations.that.are.subtle.at.first.but.all.lead.to.a.
brand.personality.that.grabs.the.audience.and.(almost.subcon-sciously).locks.them.in.
The power of the story
But. let’s. take. a. step. back. Osteoporosis,. once. you. know.
The. BONIVA. story. isn’t. really. about. the. drug. itself. or. a.
you.have.it,.is.about.fear.It’s.the.fear.of.growing.old.and.the.
complicated. mechanism. of. action. involving. that. boring. sci- fear. of. a. fall. and. the. subsequent. fractures. that. can. happen. to.
ence.of.osteoclasts.and.bone.density.What.it’s.really.about.is.
frail,. older. bones. But. the. interesting. observation. is. that. this.
patients. living. their. lives. with. less. of. the. burden. and. fear. of.
famous. fall. isn’t. really. the. issue. In. fact,. in. the. patient. with.
osteoporosis.BONIVA.gives.a.patient.the.power.to.be.active.
osteoporosis,. the. fracture. can. often. occur. first,. and. then. the.
and.preserve.bone.strength.The.TV.spot.is.rich.with.activity.
26 | DTC Perspectives • December 2010 from.yoga.to.weight.training.These.scenarios.establish.today’s.
the.very.core.values.and.attributes.that.drive.brand.adoption.–.
active. woman. (60. is. the. new. 50). and. the. associated. role. of.
trust. (efficacy),. purity. (safety). and. youthfulness. (patient. type).
exercise.in.preservation.of.bone.strength.It’s.not.about.what.
But.let’s.not.stop.there.Remember.the.icon?.The.patient.in.
the.drug.does,.but.what.it.lets.the.user.do.–.the.power.(and.
motion,.or.dare.I.say.patient.in.flight?.The.added.element.of.
permission).to.be.active.in.today’s.busy.world.
the.“flying”.nun.further.reinforces.the.brand.story.of.power.
But.beyond.the.powerful.name,.brand.hallmarks.and.story,.
Power.brought.to.the.level.of.superhero.without.all.the.nega- the. real. magic. of. BONIVA. is. Sally. Field. Certainly,. Sally.
tive.baggage,.overstatement.and.borrowed.interest.of.a.cartoon.
appears. to. be. a. vibrant. 64-year-old. woman. who. has. taken.
great. care. of. herself. She’s. a. great. model. of. health. for. her.
Simply,. BONIVA. lets. you. fly. away. from. the. fear. and.
peers. In. a. sense. she’s. timeless. and. un-aging,. and. that’s. the.
concerns. of. osteoporosis. And. that’s. due. to. powerful. brand.
exact.desired.effect.that.both.the.drug.and.the.patient.wish.to.
hallmarks.and.advertising.that.accomplishes.this.without.your.
create.But.ask.any.60ish.woman.in.our.target.audience.about.
even.noticing!.DTC
Sally. and. you. get. a. very. common. response:. she’s. Sister. Ber-trille. on. the. television. show. The Flying Nun!. But. what. does.
Jonathan Isaacs is chief creative officer at Ogilvy Healthworld (www.
that.have.to.do.with.our.brand?.Well,.this.leads.back.to.our.
ogilvychww.com), part of the Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide net- subtle. branding. and. the. conscious. and. subconscious. associa- work, the largest assembly of creative talent in the world of healthcare communications. Isaacs can be reached by e-mail at Jonathan.Isaacs@ With. Sally,. there. are. several. First. is. the. general. sense. of.
ogilvy.com or by telephone at (212) 237-4713. “likeability”. that. this. character. presents. She’s. friendly. and.
John Nosta is a creative officer at Ogilvy CommonHealth (www.
open. Second,. her. widely. recognized. television. character. is. a.
ogilvychww.com), part of the Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide net- nun.And.while.there.are.no.specific.religious.implications,.we.
work, the largest assembly of creative talent in the world of healthcare do. have. very. strong. associations. with. purity. and. trust. These.
communications. Nosta can be reached by e-mail at jnosta@common- elements.begin.to.provide.a.halo.effect.to.the.brand.and.create.
health.com or by telephone at (973) 352-3001. REACH THE RIGHT DTC MARKETERS
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