Daily Archives: May 1, 2007

Viagra

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An ad agency in Canada – Taxi — has developed a unique TV commercial for Viagra in which all verbal communication between the protagonist men is nonsensical gibberish. The only discernable word in the entire spot is the brand name “Viagra.” Thanks to a law, drug companies do not have to list side effects so long as they don’t mention the condition a drug is treating. Pfizer, therefore, feels it can parlay Viagra’s high brand recognition and consumer understanding into what it calls a “reminder” ads, conveyed in :15.
 
What I like about the idea is how hard the visual impression of the ad, i.e., the actors’ performances, must convey product benefit. Without words, all eyes are on the story. Perhaps every TV commercial should be considered through this lens. Does the spot, without words save for the brand name, convey the sales story?  If we deconstruct our ads and look at the components are they working hard enough to sell product? Food for thought.