Creative Review
Each month, this department pays homage to memorable advertising and marketing campaigns. The highlighted executions have been identified by leading creative executives for their noteworthy use of copy, art, photography, whimsy, uniqueness, etc. – in combination or as single branding elements. Creating good pharmaceutical advertising and marketing requires agencies to think out of the box and clients who dare to be different. PharmaVOICE is pleased to give these vanguards their due recognition. Levitra Agency:The Quantum Group Client: Bayer and GlaxoSmithKline Debut: September 4, 2003 Creative Director, Senior VP: Brian Mercer Chief Creative Officer, Executive VP: Kathy Jenkins Copywriter: Becky Phillips Here’s an idea: Lets have fun with sex … and be upfront about it. Let’s take a football, throw it through a tire and not give a hoot if some puritan finds the visual onomatopoeia a bit too risqué. Let’s name the drug Levitra, as in ‘la vida’, the life … let’s live Levitra loca! What’s more, let’s NOT have Bob Dole (read dull) be the spokesman for our drug. Yes, he was a presidential candidate, but are only high-powered people affected by ED? And let’s not have upper-crusty types dancing a waltz. Let’s appeal to the everyday guy, the real man, the guy who really needs the stuff. In fact, let’s not call the condition erectile dysfunction. You are not dysfunctional, you just want to improve your erectile quality (EQ). See the Levitra Website. OK, maybe I’m being a bit harsh with Pfizer; after all, they did come first and obviously wanted to legitimize the condition. But the spokesman for Levitra, Mike Ditka, is much more of a guy’s guy, and sponsorship with the National Football League is probably less polarizing than implied support of a political party. Why take a high-brow approach when a more mainstream approach will do? But why do I think this ad itself is brilliant? Because symbolically it is a tasteful and clever way to get the mind thinking about what really happens when it does not happen. And it does so unapologetically. The ad also ties in nicely with the NFL campaign. Nice touch Levitra. In fact, touchdown! If I had erectile dysfunction, I’d be game for Levitra. According to Dan Malowany, group copy supervisor at Adair-Greene, an Atlanta-based full-service healthcare agency, Levitra’s ad campaign is effective because it appeals to the everyday guy.