This commercial follows a very traditional path of antidepressant advertising. Early frames of the commercial feature the aforementioned depression sufferer appearing for lack of a better word, depressed.  Following the voice-over introduction of Abilify, the frames become happier and less severe, with the formerly depressed woman strolling on a lakeside dock while the sun beams down upon her muted smile.  The music, too, has become less glum—the notes becoming more hopeful with every keystroke.

Chances are, you think you have seen this advertisement a hundred times.  Well, you have not.  It’s brand new. The spot first began appearing on TV screens in October.

It is a wonder, with a product such as Abilify, why the campaign chose to go in a direction that most other antidepressant brands have taken.   It is a wonder, because Abilify is not actually an antidepressant.  The drug is actually an antipsychotic, typically prescribed for the treatment of Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder.

However, with this campaign, Otsuka and Bristol-Myers Squibb are marketing the product’s third function, that of an ad-on to a current antidepressant regimen.  The spot segues into this marketing message via a randomly placed chalkboard which informs the viewer, “Approximately 2 out of 3 people being treated for depression still have unresolved symptoms.”  Abilify, then, as an ad-on to an antidepressant regimen can treat these “unresolved symptoms.”   Wonderful.

So just what are these “unresolved symptoms” that 67% of depression sufferers are experiencing that are not being treated by their current regimen?  Good question.  The spot makes no indication of the symptoms to which the whole campaign is aimed at “helping.”

Personally, if I were a depression sufferer, currently on an antidepressant regimen, I would certainly like to know if I am one of the 67% that is not being completely treated.  Say a depression sufferer saw this spot and thought,  “Gee, I have been feeling rather fatigued lately despite my antidepressants, is that normal or can Abilify help me?”  They would certainly get no answer from this spot.  Yes, they could turn to the Web or their doctor to find the answer, but they might simply just shake of their fatigue as minor and ignore the possibility that their symptom is one of 10 that Abilify can help treat.

And what of those viewers that, upon seeing the “2 out of 3” statistic, continue to be engaged with the commercial, believing that Abilify can help them?  One would suppose their natural next question would be “How?  How can Abilify help ease these untreated symptoms?  Isn’t my antidepressant supposed to treat my depression?”  Again, the spot holds no answers.  There is absolutely no indication of how an antipsychotic, when added to a current antidepressant regimen can succeed in treating symptoms where antidepressants failed.   There is not even reference to a clinical study or FDA finding that supports this claim.  Certainly, even a short allusion to such data would be more persuasive than touting an unsupported claim throughout the entire spot.

It is startling that a drug, which when branded as only effective when taken co-currently with other drugs, would not explain in its message to the consumer why adding more pills to a daily regimen is a benefit or even how it works or what it treats.

And finally, it is a wonder why Abilify chose to market itself in a manner so similar to antidepressants when it is not indicated as an antidepressant itself.  The brand had the opportunity to differentiate itself from antidepressants and instead chose to market itself in parity to that category, airing on the side of vagueness and non-disclosure.

Anyone happening by the NuvaRing TV spot lately may have succumbed to a strong sense of déjà vu.  The feeling is not unfounded—the new TV advertisement is an interesting play on the older TV spot.   Unfolding as a mise en abyme (film within a film or in this case, commercial within a commercial), the spot begins with the intro to the older spot—“Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, EVERYDAAAAY.”  From there, the camera pans out as we find three young women watching the advertisement from their own couch.  They begin to discuss the product and one reveals she is a loyal user of the product.  They chat briefly and then the commercial cuts back to the risk information before panning out one last time to catch the women chatting about talking to their doctor about NuvaRing.

The genius of the spot is that it nicely captures a moment that many of us in the birth control demographic have experienced—catching the spot while watching TV with a group of girlfriends.  In my experience, a birth control ad will usually inspire at least a short chat about the ad.  Of course, this chatter could be about how incredibly cheesy and unbelievable the advertisement was or how poor the acting seemed.  However, NuvaRing is an entirely different form of birth control, one not really well understood by many women.  Therefore, most discussions I have experienced after watching a NuvaRing spot closely echo the sentiments in the current commercial.  For example: “What is it?” and “Where do you put it?”  In this spot, NuvaRing addresses many of the questions that viewers may have been asking while watching the old spot.

This new TV ad, created by TBWA/WorldHealth (the same agency responsible for the older jingle-friendly ad), succeeds where the other spot failed.  The old spot, while catchy and quite visually interesting, failed to really answer the question “What is NuvaRing?”    Capturing audience attention is key, but once the viewer is engaged, prescription drug advertising should then explain the product as much as possible.  The old NuvaRing spot really failed to describe the contraceptive, leaving viewers with more questions than answers.  The new spot, then, perfectly picks up where the other left off, providing answers and an interesting interaction with the previous TV spot.

The clear improvement in NuvaRing advertising could be due to increased ad spending by Schering Plough (new owner of Organon, original developer of NuvaRing), which, according to TNS Media Intelligence, bumped their spending up 490% in a year, from $4.5 million in Q1 2008 to $25.35 million in Q1 2009.  NuvaRing competes with other hormonal contraceptives, most of which are not currently advertising save for Yaz and Seasonique.

Whatever the reason, the campaign is a true creative treat in a sea of forgettable DTC.

I’ve had a few blogs before–all were EPIC failures.  I just can’t be counted on to update daily, weekly, or even monthly about the dull minutiae of my life.  Thus, this blog will not focus on anything other than advertising.  Glorious advertising.

Here, you’ll find the ramblings of an advertising enthusiast one, I must reluctantly admit, with very limited actual advertising experience. I do have a Masters in Advertising, however, that means very little in the real world, unfortunately.

Take my entries as opinions, not fact. I find the best way to ingratiate myself in the industry, besides actually holding down a job, is to immerse myself in it. This blog is my little experiment in that immersion.

FYI, I do have a full time job–I write for a pharmaceutical marketing magazine.  So I’d say I have some credibility (a smidgen, perhaps?).