VIAGRA
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INVESTIGATE
In the global pantheon of brands, there are few names better known than Viagra. Yet for all its notoriety, it is not a product that sells itself. Our research showed that the media’s portrayal of the brand can be off putting for the target group of Men 40+ with ED. Popular culture portrays Viagra either a performance enhancer for young studs or a prop for old men, neither or which appeals to the target. Our ongoing communication efforts for the brand have positioned it in a way that is both approachable and motivating.
INSIGHT
Although ED is a physical condition, its greatest impact is on the emotional level. In the first couple of years, the overriding strategic goal was to overcome the stigma associated with ED in order to make men more comfortable approaching their doctor for diagnosis and treatment. The task for early ads was to show that men didn’t need to feel embarrassed about treating ED. As a result of this, over time men’s mindset around ED began to change, and so too did our strategy. With more accepting attitudes, we wanted to put a confident and extroverted face on the condition.
IDEA
Viagra status as a prescription product creates an unusual hurdle: government regulations forbid communications that connect the product with the medical condition it treats. We need to communicate a likeable personality and a meaningful message about the brand without being able to talk about the product. From “Good Morning” to “Bleep” and “Gibberish” each of our campaigns has achieved this tricky balance by portraying men whose outward demeanour makes it clear they’ve left the anxiety and emotions of ED behind them.
IMPACT
The Viagra campaigns have generated results on both the business front and the creative front. Despite the introduction of competition, Viagra share in Canada remains higher than in most countries around the world, and brand campaign awareness are among the highest ever tracked for Canadian campaigns. Creatively results are just as impressive, with 2 consecutive years of Gold Lions for “Bleep” (the third most awarded campaign in the world in 2006), and “Gibberish”.