DTC Drug Ad Mascots - Pharma Marketing Network

March 2016
Vol. 15, No. 2
•
Pharma Marketing Network®
www.pharmamarketingnews.com
Cute & Creepy DTC Drug Ad Mascots
FDA Wants to Study How They Influence Consumers
Author: John Mack
Published by:
Pharma Marketing Network
PMN1502-02
Pharma Marketing News
Vol. 15, No. 2: March 2016
L
ess than a week after two direct-to-consumer
(DTC) ads featuring animated characters (aka
“mascots”) were aired during the Super Bowl,
FDA posted to the Federal Register a proposal
to study “Animation in Direct-to-Consumer Advertising” (Docket No. FDA-2016-N-0538;
http://bit.ly/F2016N0538).
Both ads were for drugs marketed by Valeant
Pharmaceuticals. One was an ad for Xifaxan for the
treatment irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea
(IBS-D). The ad featured the animated character
nicknamed variously “Gut Guy,” “Bubble Guts,” or
“Bubble Guy.” Some people compare the character
to Star Wars character Jar Jar Binks and some consider him “disturbing” and “creepy” but others find
him “cute.”
PMN1502-02
and the use of mascots in DTC ads have a long
history, which is documented on the following pages.
“Advertisers use many techniques to increase
consumer interest in their ads, including the use of
animated spokes-characters,” notes the FDA in its
Federal Register announcement. “These characters
may be fictional or nonfictional and human or nonhuman. Despite variations in form, animated characters are often used to grab attention, increase ad
memorability, and enhance persuasion to ultimately
drive behavior… to our knowledge, no studies have
comprehensively examined how animation affects
consumers’ benefit and risk perceptions in drug ads,
how various animation strategies (e.g., symbolizing
the disease vs. the benefit) influence these perceptions, and whether these effects are generalizable
across different patient populations.”
“It is important to examine whether animation in drug
ads inflates efficacy perceptions, minimizes risk, or
otherwise hinders comprehension of drug risks and
benefits,” says FDA. To investigate these issues,
FDA will conduct a two-part experimental study to
examine how the type of animation and non-human
personification in drug ads influence consumer comprehension, processing, and perception of risk and
benefit information.
The study will attempt to answer these general
questions:
Bubble Guts, aka Bubble Guy, Gut Guy at the 2016 Super Bowl
The other ad was for anti-fungal cream Jublia, which
featured a big toe character who also appeared in
the 2015 Super Bowl lineup.
AstraZeneca also ran an unbranded ad to raise
awareness of opioid-induced constipation (OID). AZ
is marketing Movantik, the only drug approved for the
treatment of OID. The branded TV ad for that drug
features an animated opioid pill that accompanies an
opioid user everywhere including an outdoor art
class in the park.
National Public Radio dubbed the three ads as the
“worst reference to bodily functions” in its assessment of the Super Bowl ads. “The Super Bowl is
known for inspiring lots of eating and lavish spreads
of food,” said the NPR critic. “So why would advertisers pay millions to air ads focusing on constipation,
irritable bowel syndrome and toe fungus?”
FDA’s Proposed Study
Of course, the temporal conjunction of the public
brouhaha over these Super Bowl ads and FDA’s
announcement was merely a coincidence. Animation
© 2016 Pharma Marketing Network. All rights reserved.
Pharma Marketing News
1. How does consumer processing of a DTC
prescription drug ad differ depending on
whether the ad is live-action, rotoscoped, or
animated?
2. Does consumer processing differ depending on
whether the sufferer, the disease, or the benefit
is the focus of the animation?
FDA suggests that “the positive effects these animations induce might transfer to the brands being
adver-tised.” Some healthcare providers agree. Niki
Strealy, a registered and licensed dietician nutritionist who specializes in gastrointestinal issues, for
example, wrote to Pharmalot: “[Gut Guy] reminds me
of a balloon animal; he’s bouncy when he walks.
Personally, I feel sympathetic toward him, like ‘poor
guy, he doesn’t feel very well,’” However, there may
also be negative effects. On Twitter, for example,
comments regarding “Bubble Guts” skew negative.
It’s The Bee’s Wings
At an FDA public in 2005, Ruth Day of Duke University presented a study that discovered that the bee in
the Nasonex TV commercial beat its wings furiously
Continues…
1
Pharma Marketing News
Vol. 15, No. 2: March 2016
when risk information was being presented but was
still when benefit information was presented. Day
claimed that the beating wings divert viewers’ attention from the risk information (read more about it
here: http://bit.ly/pmn41001h).
It seems that DTC advertisers are clever enough to
employ subtle psychological devices to subvert the
fair balance guidelines of the FDA. Only now, eleven
years later, is the FDA proposing to determine if Day
was right! You might ask, “What took you so long?”
PMN1502-02
My Favorite Mascots
My favorite mascots appear on the following pages,
which were created from a Slideshare Powerpoint
presentation. Each mascot profile includes a link to
more information. Mascots are arranged in several
categories:
• Plumbing Critters: It seems that every overactive bladder drug must have a mascot that
either represents a bladder or what happens
when the bladder is full. See page 3.
You might also ask, “Is this study really necessary?”
It's pretty obvious, IMHO, that mascots do NOT help
physicians and patients recall side effects of drugs.
• Sleepy Critters: These life forms appear in the
bedrooms and dreams of sleepers in ads. See
page 6.
Mascots and “Ask Your Doctor”
FDA’s study might be more interesting if it studied
the effect of mascots on the doctor-patient relationship—specifically if mascots helped patients remember and ask physicians about brand name drugs.
• Toe Nail Fungus Among Us: Some nasty
critters may be living under your toenails, but at
least one friendly drug mascot is here to help.
See page 7.
Brand name drug mascots not only appear in TV and
print ads, they also are plastered all over patient
education brochures and other marketing pieces that
pharma sales reps hand out to physicians in their
offices, as well as in booths at medical conventions.
The mascots also appear on billboards, websites,
and wherever else there are eyeballs!
When patients visit their doctors, they may not ask
for an advertised drug by name—who can remember
those names? Xifaxan? Really?!! But they remember
the mascot. “You know doc, the drug with the cute
bubble guy. There he is on that pamphlet you have
right here on your desk!”
• Depressing Mascots: Apparently it’s not
enough to show depressed people in drug ads.
Cartoon critters and automatons are also
needed. See page 8.
• Real Animals: Most drug ad mascots are make
believe life forms, but real animals are also often
featured in these ads. See page10.
• Miscellaneous Mascots. See page12.
You can find the PPT version here:
http://bit.ly/mascotgallery
Pharma Marketing News
SEE THE FOLLOWING PAGES FOR THE MASCOTS
© 2016 Pharma Marketing Network. All rights reserved.
Pharma Marketing News
2
Pharma Make*ng News: March 2016 PMN1502-­‐02 MR. & MRS. WATER BALLOON IN AN ENABLEX AD Enablex TV commercials in 2009 featured water balloon people, some of whom were harmed during filming -­‐ notably a water balloon woman who burst into a shower of urine(?) due to an overac*ve bladder, which happened at a high school reunion. This balloon couple was blithely unaware of what their teenage balloon daughter was up to with her boy friends in her room. Find out more about that here: h[p://bit.ly/eablexballoonpeople ANNOYING MYRBETRIQ BLADDER CHARACTER! This annoying bladder-­‐shaped cri[er torments a woman all day urging her to go to the bathroom in Myrbetriq commercials. It also appeared in movie theaters in the summer of 2014 to promote a unique mobile ad campaign. More about that here: h[p://bit.ly/PMT223 Copyright 2016. Pharma Marke*ng Network. 3 Pharma Make*ng News: March 2016 PMN1502-­‐02 DETROL BATHROOM LADY RETIRES When Detrol went off patent Pfizer came up with Toviaz to treat women with overac*ve bladder. This was bad news for the Detrol bathroom lady who had to go! Read about it: h[p://bit.ly/cbJDqU VESICARE’S AWARD-­‐WINNING PIPE PEOPLE In 2012, Euro RSCG Tonic won two Effie Awards for work completed on behalf of its client, VESIcare. “One reason for the success of the campaign is that it managed to talk about the problem and give a solu*on without adding to the pa*ents’ embarrassment. In short, it hit just the right note. Pa*ents just didn’t listen to the adver*sing, they liked it,” claimed Rich Roth, Managing Director, Chief Crea*ve Officer of Euro RSCG Tonic. Copyright 2016. Pharma Marke*ng Network. 4 Pharma Make*ng News: March 2016 PMN1502-­‐02 XIFAXAN’S GUTSY “BUBBLE GUY” This walking mascot, nicknamed “Bubble Guy” has been compared to a dinosaur and Jar Jar Banks. Xifaxan is for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea. No surprise then that Valeant created a cute pink mascot. It’s been reported that Bubble Guy has at least 6 fans on Twi[er who have expressed fondness or empathy for the “cute” and “cuddly” mascot. Even a turd, like South Park’s Mr. Hinky, can be cute. More here: h[p://sco.lt/6by4g5 RAPAFLO’S PROSTATE MASCOT “WALLY” IS REALLY A WALNUT! I call him “Wally” because he looks just like a walnut (on len), which I suspect was the model the agency used to create the character. There’s even a li[le walnut-­‐like point at the top of his head, which may not be medically accurate. More about that here: h[p://bit.ly/wallywalnut Copyright 2016. Pharma Marke*ng Network. 5 Pharma Make*ng News: March 2016 PMN1502-­‐02 BELSOMRA’S FURRY SLEEP/WAKE CREATURES Is a good night’s sleep as elusive for you as your cat? There he is, nice and white and cuddly. But that wake cat is dirty and creepy looking! The comments a[ached to an “unlisted” Youtube video of the ad are hilarious. See them here: h[ps://youtu.be/_kMzVNnv78w ROZEREM ADS SHOW BEAVER, DIS LINCOLN Back in 2006 many pharma marke*ng pundits were trying to figure out the thinking behind the new ad campaign for Rozerem, a sleep aid pill marketed by Takeda. The ads featured Abraham Lincoln and a beaver. Aside from “showing beaver” (sexual innuendo intended?), the ads “dissed” Abe. More about that here: h[p://bit.ly/rozerembeav Copyright 2016. Pharma Marke*ng Network. 6 Pharma Make*ng News: March 2016 PMN1502-­‐02 THE LUNESTA MOTH LIVES ON! I thought the Lunesta moth would be “mothballed” due to nega*ve marke*ng ROI. But I was wrong! More about that here: h[p://bit.ly/lunestamoth LAMISIL’S DIGGER THE DERMATOPHYTE Digger looks nothing like an actual dermatophyte. But he is kind of “cute” and physicians loved to pose with the “live” mascot at medical conven*ons. FDA sent Novar*s a warning le[er in 2003 because TV ads featuring Digger overstated Lamisil’s efficacy (Digger and his pals were completely defeated by Lamisil sugges*ng a complete cure of toenail fungus) . Read the le[er here: h[p://bit.ly/diggerle[er Copyright 2016. Pharma Marke*ng Network. 7 Pharma Make*ng News: March 2016 PMN1502-­‐02 JUBLIA’S MASCOT MAKES IT TO THE SUPER BOWL Jublia’s mascot tackled toenail fungus during the 2015 Super Bowl. Not everyone thought the ad was effec*ve: “Shouldn’t the Jublia football player tackle and crush the toenail fungus into the dirt un*l it is completely destroyed, or at least no*ceably injured?”, asked one commenter. “Or are they worried about getng an unnecessary roughness call?” Keep in mind that the FDA is the ref in the real world. THOSE HAPPY ZOLOFT BLOBS! Are these blobs or onions? Whatever these li[le mascots are supposed to be, how happy can they be without arms or legs? Copyright 2016. Pharma Marke*ng Network. 8 Pharma Make*ng News: March 2016 PMN1502-­‐02 THE ABILIFY ROBE “Aner 6 weeks on an an*depressant, I s*ll couldn’t shake my depression,” says the ad, which shows a robe chasing a woman as soon as she leaves the house. That robe wants to take her down, but eventually Abilify puts it in the back-­‐
ground where it sulks on its own. THE PRISTIQ WIND-­‐UP DOLL According to a confiden*al inside source, the wind-­‐up doll signifies what many people on depression feel like: they must go through their daily lives on “autopilot,” and at *mes, do not even “feel human.” The wind-­‐up doll simulates the impact of depression on daily func*oning -­‐ par*cularly feelings of sadness, loss of interest in favorite ac*vi*es, trouble concentra*ng and lack of energy. OK, I'll buy that. More on that here: h[p://bit.ly/pris*qdoll Copyright 2016. Pharma Marke*ng Network. 9 Pharma Make*ng News: March 2016 PMN1502-­‐02 THE NASONEX BEE CRITICIZED AT FDA HEARING At a 2005 FDA public hearing on DTC adver*sing and later in 2009 in front of a Congressional hearing , Ruth Day, head of Duke University’s Medical Cogni*on Laboratory, famously claimed that the Nasonex bee’s bea*ng wings divert viewers’ a[en*on from the risk informa*on. More about that here: h[p://bit.ly/bea*ngbeewings SPIRIVA ADDRESSES THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM The elephant represents COPD. It sits on peoples’ chests in living rooms, outside on ham-­‐
mocks, etc. But as soon as the ad talks about Spiriva, voila!, the elephant is off those chests! But it follows people around just wai*ng to crush their chests again! I suppose the message is not to forget to take your inhaler with you wherever you go because you never know when the elephant will pounce! Copyright 2016. Pharma Marke*ng Network. 10 Pharma Make*ng News: March 2016 PMN1502-­‐02 ON CHANTIX YOU’RE THE TORTOISE, NOT THE HARE Slow and steady wins the race. That is the message of 2007 Chan*x TV DTC ads that featured a race between a tortoise and a hare, which was a scrawny, reddish, devilish looking hare; not a cute cuddly rabbit like the Eveready bunny. More here: h[p://bit.ly/chantort “SAL” & “MARTY” WIN MARKETING CREATIVITY AWARD AstraZeneca’s disease-­‐educa*on campaign “Take it from a Fish,” which features “Sal” & “Marty” won the top prize at the 2015 Lions Health crea*vity fes*val. More here: h[p://sco.lt/6Fzdr7 Copyright 2016. Pharma Marke*ng Network. 11 Pharma Make*ng News: March 2016 PMN1502-­‐02 AMBIENCR ROOSTER & TWO GUYS In 2008, Sanofi-­‐Aven*s, marketer of sleep aid AmbienCR, ran a “Rooster Car Alarm Commercial,” one of several in a series of “unbranded” ads. These ads did not men*on the brand, but promoted the branded website SilenceYourRooster.com. The ad agency responsible for the ad − Saatchi & Saatchi − won the 2009 PE Magazine “ad stars” award. The rooster, aka “cock,” was “specially trained to stay up at night.” Read more here: hZp://bit.ly/2guys1cock MUCINEX’S MR. MUCUS GETS TOUGH! “Big Bad Mr. Mucus” replaced nice family guy Mr. Mucus in 2009. Although this iconic mascot doesn’t look very loveable, he may have been inspired by two other, more loveable, icons; i.e., John Travolta (who played an amiable biker in the movie “Wild Hogs”) and Shrek. More about that here: hZp://bit.ly/badmrmucus Copyright 2016. Pharma Marke*ng Network. 12 Pharma Make*ng News: March 2016 PMN1502-­‐02 PURPLE PILL BOTTLE DOES WHAT NOW? This Tanzeum pill boZle mascot is a golf buddy who doesn’t play or help you carry your clubs. It just follows you around. It also follows other people with diabetes to the beach, yoga class, wherever! See the ad here: hZps://youtu.be/6xdC40UanA4 MOVANTIK HELPS WITH “OPIOID BAGGAGE” Need help with your opioid baggage; e.g., cons*pa*on? Movan*k will help you overcome that and enjoy a day in the park with your opioid! See ad here: hZp://bit.ly/opioidpark Copyright 2016. Pharma Marke*ng Network. 13