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2009 Bronze Effie Winner

“Feel better, Tylenol”

Category: Healthcare - OTC

Brand/Client: Tylenol / McNeil Consumer Healthcare

Primary Agency: Deutsch Inc.

Strategic Challenge

The Situation: Old Brand Needs New Life

Tylenol® has been around for more than 50 years, and although it is one of the most trusted brand names, the business had been trending downward since 1999. Its annual domestic sales were more than $1 billion but despite this leadership status, Tylenol had lost over two share points since 2005 (IRI, All Outlets 2007, 2008). To put that into context, each share point is roughly equivalent to $37 million (IRI FDTKS). It was an old brand that needed new life.

The Business Challenge: Do More With Less

Tylenol appeared to be a mega-brand on paper, but it certainly wasn’t showing up in the world that way. Since it houses several sub-brands that compete in different pain states (e.g., Tylenol Arthritis, Tylenol PM, Tylenol Cold, Children’s Tylenol), the master brand’s footprint was weakened and the media spend was diluted. Beyond supporting multiple sub-brands/targets, we were challenged with supporting multiple initiatives, such as the 2008 Olympics and our NASCAR partnership. We had no new significant product innovations to help create news. Our competitors, competing in far fewer pain states, were significantly outspending us—sometimes by ninefold (TNS Strategy 2007). We faced increasing competitive pressure from private label products as they were beginning to act more and more like brands—with marketing communications support and product innovation.

Effie® Awards

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©2009: The information available through effie.org is the property of the Effie Awards and is protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. This brief may be displayed, reformatted and printed for your personal use only. By using this site, you agree not to reproduce, retransmit, distribute, sell, publicly display, publish or broadcast the information to anyone without the prior written consent of the Effie Awards.

The Category Challenge: Nothing To Say, No One To Listen

Historically, the brand’s strongest equities were trust and safety. Yet, our trust equity (driven largely by how the brand handled the cyanide scare in the 80’s) wasn’t one that could be explicitly leveraged—trust had to be built by what we did, not said. Our safety equity (driven largely by the unique safety advantages of the medicine) was old news to consumers. And competitors would fight tooth and nail to prevent Tylenol from making new claims that would refresh this proposition. They continued to flood the market with new forms and claims that made efficacy the issue—an issue Tylenol can’t compete on alone. What’s more is that when we did have a competitive product advantage, we couldn’t communicate it. Although Tylenol is literally in a class by itself (it works in a different, more targeted way than all the other analgesics do) we were unable to market that fact directly because of the litigious nature of the category.

Even if we could tell a well-crafted story about the unique properties of our medicine, we wondered: would anyone pay attention? That was the real billion-dollar question. Unlike the kind of neutral low interest people have in things like toothpaste and toilet paper, analgesics were something that people were actively disinterested in because they don’t want to think about pain and suffering. In the context of no news, fragmented messages and declining sales, the Tylenol brand needed a powerful new conversation and story that could turn consumer’s active category disinterest into active Tylenol interest.

Objectives

Reviving the Brand in Three Ways

We had three clear objectives:

1.Reverse the business declines, both in sales and share.

2.Modernize and differentiate the brand. This meant influencing at least 3 out of 4 key equity measures.

3.Increase consumer engagement in an extremely low-interest category.

The Big Idea

To take a stand FOR health rather than AGAINST pain.

The Consumer Insight: Two Different Worlds

People don’t want to think about feeling bad. And the category didn’t acknowledge this fact. When we looked at the work in the category with fresh eyes, we found that every brand—including Tylenol—was saying the same thing: “faster-stronger-longer-must-get-back-to-busy-life…relief.”

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Tel: 212-687-3280 Fax: 212-557-9242

©2009: The information available through effie.org is the property of the Effie Awards and is protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. This brief may be displayed, reformatted and printed for your personal use only. By using this site, you agree not to reproduce, retransmit, distribute, sell, publicly display, publish or broadcast the information to anyone without the prior written consent of the Effie Awards.

Visually, we were all portraying it in the same way: the throbbing red spot, the man writhing in pain then magically dancing in a conga line with his wife, the rushing liquid and exploding pill. And since consumers didn’t want to think about or be confronted with pain, we became increasingly obnoxious in order to get their attention. After years of shouting, our category literally became quite a headache.

There was a chasm between the pain-reliever world and the real world.

What’s more, this chasm was only getting larger over time. Qualitative discussions with our target audience showed that not only did people avoid thinking about feeling bad, more and more they were focused on finding small ways to feel good: drinking 8 glasses of water a day, walking 10,000 steps daily, cutting back on soda, or eating more fruits and vegetables. It’s important to note that not everyone was taking it to the extreme (we’re not talking about running marathons), but they were making the effort to make healthier choices day in and day out. And, since these types of lifestyle changes aren’t always easy to make, they wanted help. This meant that the door was now open to begin talking to consumers about better choices they could make in many aspects of their lives—including healthier choices to stay well and to get well.

Given our brand’s heritage of safety and trust, Tylenol was the only brand that could leverage this opportunity. Our medicine has a unique safety profile. The brand’s trust and integrity allowed us to legitimately and genuinely talk to people about things beyond the pill bottle—something our competitors (including private label) could never do. Only Tylenol could be the brand that stopped focusing on fighting against pain and instead focused on standing for health. In this way, we could again offer relief—but in a deeper, more relevant way than ever before.

Bringing the Idea to Life

The Work: A Welcome Shift

The idea, “Feel better, Tylenol,” engages consumers in a new conversation by educating them on healthier living. It encourages them to make healthier choices. It connects with people holistically, and in doing so allows the brand to connect with people not just when they’re sick, but also when they’re well. Not just at the moment they’re choosing a pain reliever, but at any moment they’re choosing health.

“Feel better, Tylenol” is an all-encompassing idea that allows all of the Tylenol sub-brands to address their own unique challenges while providing a strong halo back to the master brand. All of the communications themselves embodied the “Feel better, Tylenol” spirit. The look, feel, and tone of the messaging made you literally feel better, compared to the category standard of highlighting pain.

Having the ability to talk to people holistically opened up new possibilities for the context of our messaging as well. We were able to launch a complete 360° surround-sound campaign that showed up in everyday locations: on the street, on the commute, in the air, in the aisles. Because we integrated into people’s lives rather than interrupted them, we were able to forge more lasting connections with people, rather than mere fleeting impressions.

Effie® Awards

116 E. 27th St., 6th Floor, New York, NY 10016

Tel: 212-687-3280 Fax: 212-557-9242

©2009: The information available through effie.org is the property of the Effie Awards and is protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. This brief may be displayed, reformatted and printed for your personal use only. By using this site, you agree not to reproduce, retransmit, distribute, sell, publicly display, publish or broadcast the information to anyone without the prior written consent of the Effie Awards.

Opening the Door to a New Conversation

The campaign was introduced with a :60 TV spot that claimed the new pro-health territory for the brand. It was soon followed by :30 sub-brand TV spots that continued to cement Tylenol’s commitment to wellness by demonstrating a deeper, more empathetic understanding of specific conditions, namely arthritis and sleeplessness. The spots were based on condition-specific insights that showed consumers that Tylenol really understands what they’re going through, not only physically, but emotionally.

Inviting Them in With a Holistic Offering

A series of :15 TV animations remind people of simple changes they can make to get better sleep and avoid headaches. During late-night shows, we talked to people about TV being bad for sleep. During the morning hours, when people tend to rush out of the house, we reminded them to eat because skipping meals can cause headaches.

Print executions encouraged consumers to manage their conditions with simple lifestyle changes, but reminded them that they could rely on Tylenol for safe pain relief when they need it. Have arthritis? Try to incorporate more exercise into your routine to manage your pain. Have a headache? Try drinking water because you might be dehydrated.

Touching Their Lives, Day In and Day Out

We had billboards, bus shelters and subway advertising that reminded consumers to sit up straight because bad posture can cause headaches. When the cold and flu season was at its peak, we encouraged people to take a sick day.

Online, we were also able to expand beyond health and wellness into areas where we could connect with people by providing simple reminders and tools that made healthier choices easy. A hydration tracker helped them get the daily requisite 8 glasses of water. A restaurant finder helped them get lunch before a headache could strike.

During National Sleep Month in March 2008, all Tylenol PM communications were devoted to reinforcing the importance of sleep and helping consumers improve their sleeping habits. This was done through several mediums: a national out-of-home Bedroom Tour in LA, Chicago and New York City, online media, a microsite that housed 31 days of sleep-better tips, as well as two free “Sleep better” podcasts, and “Sleep Better Kits,” containing sleep-inducing items such as eye masks and herbal tea, that were distributed through retail partnerships.

And beyond saying “feel better,” we actually made people feel better. During rainy days, we handed out umbrellas at train stations in New York City and Philadelphia. When people sat in their cramped airplane seats, we taught them rejuvenating stretches right from the back of their tray tables. When they finished a race, we were there offering massages.

Because “Feel better, Tylenol” focused on positive ways to improve health, it transformed the brand into something people welcomed, rather than avoided.

Effie® Awards

116 E. 27th St., 6th Floor, New York, NY 10016

Tel: 212-687-3280 Fax: 212-557-9242

©2009: The information available through effie.org is the property of the Effie Awards and is protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. This brief may be displayed, reformatted and printed for your personal use only. By using this site, you agree not to reproduce, retransmit, distribute, sell, publicly display, publish or broadcast the information to anyone without the prior written consent of the Effie Awards.

Communications Touch Points

Additional Marketing Components:

Couponing

Reach:

National

Total Media Expenditure:

$40 Million & Over

Results

1. Reversed the Business Declines

The impact of the campaign was felt almost immediately. In the first month of the campaign, sales increased 3.9% vs. year ago (IRI, FDTKS 2/3 – 3/9). This was quite a nice surprise, since the work was not forecasted to have a business impact until April. We were successful in reversing the negative trajectory in sales and share.

Prior to the launch, Adult Tylenol weekly share was down .6 share points (average weekly change compared with the previous year). After the launch, that trend reversed itself. On average, Adult Tylenol weekly share increased .1 share points. For context, .1 share point is worth $3.6 MM (IRI, FDTKS).

Effie® Awards

116 E. 27th St., 6th Floor, New York, NY 10016

Tel: 212-687-3280 Fax: 212-557-9242

©2009: The information available through effie.org is the property of the Effie Awards and is protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. This brief may be displayed, reformatted and printed for your personal use only. By using this site, you agree not to reproduce, retransmit, distribute, sell, publicly display, publish or broadcast the information to anyone without the prior written consent of the Effie Awards.

The new campaign also improved share for other Adult Tylenol brands. Prior to the launch of specific Tylenol Arthritis work, the brand had lagged the category for 10 weeks. Post launch, Tylenol Arthritis outpaced the category and gained 0.2 share points. After only one week of support for Tylenol PM, we were able to reverse a five-week-long share erosion (IRI, FDTKS).

We confirmed that messaging that supports making healthier choices, while not necessarily pushing Tylenol products, have actually made it more likely that consumers will choose us the next time they are in the aisle.

2. Modernized and Differentiated the Brand

The new campaign had a strong impact on the Tylenol master brand. Three out of four key equity pillars increased in 2008: familiarity, popularity, and relevance.

Overall, consumers had a more favorable opinion of Tylenol and felt that we were connecting with them on a more personal level.

3. Captured People’s Attention

It seems that “Feel better, Tylenol” has successfully transformed people’s active disinterest into active engagement. The campaign was noticed and talked about by many people.

The industry noticed. Barbara Lippert of Adweek called the campaign: “A smart, artful category basher that manages to talk about health in a genuinely modern, engaging way. And that’s no easy task.” In addition, our “Lose 1lb.” :15 TV spot was ranked “Spot of the Week” by Adweek in April 2008.

And, most important, our consumers have noticed. There has been a dramatic increase in voluntary consumer feedback—both over the phone and online. One consumer sent us feedback online: “I just really liked how it was speaking to me…I want to feel better and healthier…it made me want to find out how Tylenol can help me feel better.”

Effie® Awards

116 E. 27th St., 6th Floor, New York, NY 10016

Tel: 212-687-3280 Fax: 212-557-9242

©2009: The information available through effie.org is the property of the Effie Awards and is protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. This brief may be displayed, reformatted and printed for your personal use only. By using this site, you agree not to reproduce, retransmit, distribute, sell, publicly display, publish or broadcast the information to anyone without the prior written consent of the Effie Awards.

Online, we see further proof that consumers are more engaged with the brand. Visits to Tylenol.com increased 61% from 2007 (Agency Research). Once there they are spending more time on the site, as average length of visit went from 3:57 in 2007 to 5:08 in 2008 (Webtrends).

Anything else going on that might have helped drive results?

While the “Feel better, Tylenol” campaign results to date are strong, we know that there are other factors in the marketplace that may be directly impacting the amount of growth. Over the past year or so, the looming economic crisis has made many national brands more and more substitutable and private label brands an increasing threat. We’ve seen an increase in private label advertising (in both national TV and print), and an exceptionally strong in-store presence. However, even with this category-changing shift, Tylenol’s sales change remains positive while other branded players have seen a much more negative impact. (IRI, FDTKS 2008)

Effie® Awards

116 E. 27th St., 6th Floor, New York, NY 10016

Tel: 212-687-3280 Fax: 212-557-9242

©2009: The information available through effie.org is the property of the Effie Awards and is protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. This brief may be displayed, reformatted and printed for your personal use only. By using this site, you agree not to reproduce, retransmit, distribute, sell, publicly display, publish or broadcast the information to anyone without the prior written consent of the Effie Awards.