Lastname 1 Student Name ENGL 1301.23404 Professor Clark 2 April 2017 Benadryl Ad Analysis Pharmaceutical products are known for their advertisements; however, the majority of these advertisements depict the same scenes of unspecific happiness, showing smiling actors performing the actions of mundane life without difficulty. The advertisements that break away from this trend are those that stand out either in disesteem or positive notoriety. In an attempt to measure the efficacy of these standard practices in pharmaceutical marketing campaigns two Benadryl ads were chosen which utilize this common message in pharmaceutical ads of continuing with one’s life uninterrupted; in the case of Benadryl this interruption is due to allergies; however, the way they tell this story varies drastically between the two ads: one ad focuses on the adult formulation of the drug and utilizes a tone of apprehension while the other is tailored for the Children’s Benadryl formulation and the family atmosphere that entails. The first advertisement is that of a verdent park in spring with scattered bunches of yellow flowers are in bloom across the lush grass. A well-kept trail leads into the distance; it twists slightly to the left as it nears the horizon. There are a series of wooden benches that are installed on the left land side of the trail growing progressively smaller as the trail winds into the distance. On either side of the trail, trees with near-bare branches arch over the trail with the blue sky visible through their thin foliage. In the center of the trail stands a menacing man in all Lastname 2 black; over his face he wears a disturbing mask that is intended to resemble a flower but with exaggerated features of a man. In his hand he holds a flower with petals that seem sharp and dangerous. The words “Allergies can attack at any time” are printed at the bottom next to the Benadryl logo. The second advertisement is that of a clearing in the woods. Tall trees frame the backdrop of the seen with a glaring sun in the top left corner of the pictures. A small child of six or seven runs while he plays surrounded by a cardboard box resembling either a spacecraft or airplane; a look of joy is on his face as he plays in the clearing. The words “You cant [pause] takeoff” are printed with the pause symbol being used in place of the actual word, colored the classic Benadryl pink. A secondary catchline is printed under the Children’s Benadryl logo stating “You can’t pause life” which explains the use of the original catchline. The first thing that is noticeable is the differing tones of the ad campaigns; one is tailored to the adult community and uses a campaign that inspires a small measure of fear or apprehension in its audience while the other is marketed for a children’s version of the product and instead focuses on a light and joyful atmosphere which is appropriate for the audience (families) it is trying to reach. The Children’s ad may be appealing to a wider audience but the image it portrays is trite in comparison to the terror-inspiring ad for the adult formulation. It is difficult to establish which of the advertisements is more effective in improving sales through the tone alone: while the adult ad is more “out of the box” than the Children’s, the message is delivers may be one that not everyone can concur with and may inspire the opposite of what the ad is intending, pushing the customer away rather than drawing them in; incidentally, this is exactly what would likely motivate a viewer to purchase the product because despite how unsettling the ad is it manages to remain in the mind long after the viewer has moved on. The Lastname 3 Children’s ad fails to deliver a message that is memorable at all and instead focuses on a “tried and true” method of safe redundant images and a slapped on allergy related tagline. Another easily identifiable feature the campaigns share is depicting the spring season as the cause of one’s allergy woes. This is a common tool in the advertisers’ belt when it comes to depicting a scene for allergy medications; lush green grass and blooming flowers have become synonymous with allergies in pharmaceutical ads and we as the viewer have become familiar with this trend whether we realize it or not. The Children’s ad is simple, it appeals to the most basic sensibilities while delivering its message; consequently, the way they depict spring falls to the same trappings as the ad as a whole, utilizing only a lens flare to represent the shining sun and both green grass and full evergreen trees in the background to represent the season. The adult ad establishes the season through similar methods; showing verdant grass and blooming flowers but it goes a step further in its demonstration of the season through the inclusion of near- bare trees across the scene which attempts to establish the season as early spring. When compared to the full green trees in the background of the Children’s advertisement which create the scene of a protected area surrounding the clearing, the openness of the sky in the adult advertisement lends to a feeling of vulnerability especially when combined with the overall tone of the advertisement; the protective enclosure of the trees has not quite grown to what we are used to in Summer and the thin foliage allows one to truly feel the openness of the park. Ultimately, the establishing of the season and the method in which it is done is of little import to the overall message of the advertisement; however, the adult ad provides an additional layer of depth that the Children’s ad does not. A less noticeable aspect that the campaigns share is a theme built around the interruption of one’s daily life due to allergies, an aspect of pharmaceutical ads already discussed earlier Lastname 4 within this text. This common message of being able to lead one’s life unencumbered by the burden of allergies is prevalent in allergy pharmaceutical ads almost to the point of implicitness. Each of the advertisements present this scenario in different methods: the Children’s advertisement follows the norm established by allergy ads that came before it, non- confrontational, family friendly, and easy to understand; conversely, the adult advertisement, which was developed by a London-based ad agency, goes against the current with the tone and subject matter it utilizes; the masked man wielding a weapon themed on allergies with the tagline “allergies can attack at any time” causes a feeling of apprehension in the viewer even while being consciously aware that a simple advertisement cannot cause one physical harm. This appeal to the darker side of the psyche is one not commonly found among pharmaceutical ads let alone allergy ads and allows this work to stand out against the crowd. Both ads work well to establish that Benadryl, either for children or adults, is an effective countermeasure for allergy season or galvanizes the viewer to choose this product over other allergy remedies. The Children’s advertisement follows methods that have been long established in pharmaceutical ads depicting a wholesome scene; however, this method does not establish an image that remains memorable after the viewer moves on. The ad for the adult formulation is far from the norm in pharmaceutical advertising and makes an impression upon the viewer that persists long after the viewer moves on. Ultimately, the adult ad is the more effective image as it is capable of both remaining memorable as well as establishing a new precedent in allergy advertising not typically used; even those who are repulsed by the slightly disturbing image will remember both the advertisement and the product.