The goals of German drug giant Boehringer Ingleheim’s (BI) new marketing campaign could have easily been the same as one of yours: brand building, product differentiation, touting your USP.
Only BI did something not seen in its category for nearly 60 years: animating the campaign front man.
BI makes Zantac, a popular over-the-counter remedy that competes with other medications, including the antacid, Alka Seltzer. That brand’s beloved Speedy, who retired in ’64, was the first (and last) animated character to dominate indigestion advertising; the tablet-bodied boy also became a cultural icon. BI hopes to match these achievements with its eponymous new character, Captain Zantac.
The Campaign
BI introduced the feisty fire-guy in late 2013, the new face of what its news release calls a “360-degree brand-equity campaign.” Elements include national print and TV ads, and online and in-store promotions.
Wallace & Gromit creators, Aardman Animations brought the earnest, broad-shouldered skipper to life, as shown in this rare online posting of a 3D “turntable rendering.”
The Analysis
In terms of strategy and execution, we feel there’s a lot to like about this campaign, including:
- Characterization: There’s a logical (critics may argue obvious) connection between spokes-character and product that neatly reinforces the brand’s heartburn-relief proposition. The captain comes across as strong, capable and caring. By hiring world-class animators, BI also demonstrated its commitment to developing high-quality creative.
- Clear Differentiation: The inaugural “Night Rescue” TV spot calls out a top competitor by name, then succinctly states Zantac’s key differentiator — faster pain relief.
- Execution: In tidy fashion, the clip dramatizes the problem, explains how Zantac solves it, and delivers the product’s superlative USP: “No pill relieves heartburn faster.”
We also thought there were missed opportunities:
- Skimping: A 15-second national kickoff spot, really? Surely a deep-pocketed pharma giant could spring for something longer, especially considering BI’s apparent bid to make Captain Zantac heartburn advertising’s new animated archetype.
- Pace: Copy is brilliantly tight. But Zantac’s USP and key differentiators are easily lost in the overly brisk pacing.
- Being unsocial: BI gets kudos for showcasing the captain on Zantac’s home page, and for capturing tons of news coverage across the web. But with no evidence of a social media component, we’re not sure how the campaign can really be considered “360-degree.”
Hats off to Boehringer Ingleheim for the beginnings of a fun and easily extendible campaign. Who knows? Maybe with some early wins, Captain Zantac may earn his own Twitter handle or Facebook page.
