Today I came across Robert Roth’s blog Making Sense and the post “Clear blocked sinus passages and fight methamphetamine at the same time.” It seems that the Sine-Off brand has removed pseudoephedrine, an essential ingredient in the production of methamphetamine, from their entire line of over-the-counter medicines. What’s more, they are advertising the fact using broadcast TV advertising which touts the following “side effects” of using Sine-Off: reduced crime rates, cleaner neighborhoods, fewer house fires, and safer communities. (View TV ad.)

That’s certainly a Unique Selling Point - but will it help sell the brand?

Reaction to the move by Hogil Pharmaceutical Corporation was mixed. When Willamette Week Online dubbed Hogil “Rogue of the Week” for what it called a “shameless attempt at cashing in on meth-hysteria,” some readers demurred, suggesting that the company was doing a good thing, even if Hogil did stand to benefit from it. I would tend to agree with that sentiment. If the company’s actions do in any way lead to less crime, that’s a good thing. My concern is the way they are communicating this news, and the implications it might have for their brand.

First, there’s the message: the removal of pseudoephedrine. All consumers know that taking something out of a product is usually bad. For example, “reduced fat” in cookies or ice cream invariably means “reduced taste.” So without some reassurance that pseudoephedrine had been replaced with an equally effective ingredient, users will be left wondering “But will it still work?” (While the ad doesn’t say so, pseudoephedrine has been replaced in Sine-Off, and many other medications, with something called phenylepherine.)

Next let’s consider the way the ad is structured. The news announcement comes up front: “Big news! Sine-Off cold, flu, and sinus congestion medicine has reformulated.” But it’s followed by some standard sell (”is effective against fever, sore throat, congestion and sinus pressure”) before we even hear the meat of the announcement: “Sine-off has completely removed pseudoephedrine, the key ingredient needed to make crystal meth.” Given the lack of visual interest in the ad - all we see are Sine-Off packages - I’m afraid that most people will have lost interest by the time the “real” news comes on. So maybe we don’t need to worry about what replaces pseudoephedrine after all - because few people will hear that message anyway!

Finally, there’s the tone of voice. Borrowing the style of a Cold War news reel to intone the message “fight your cold, flu and sinus congestion, while also fighting the effects of meth on our community” may leave viewers wondering if they are really meant to take this seriously. I had my doubts, and so did Robert Roth.

Luckily the PRNewswire reassured me that the initiative was for real and, furthermore, told me that Hogil is making an unrestricted educational-grant to the Drug Free Partnership of America. So no one should criticize Hogil for what they are doing, I just wonder if their attempt to leverage their good works may not fail, simply because of the way they have announced it. This seems much more the sort of initiative that should be the focus of a word-of-mouth campaign than broadcast advertising.

 

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 29th, 2006 at 3:19 pm and is filed under Brands, Creative. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. Print this Page