There's a great article in today's online WSJ (subscription required) about - of all things, Metamucil. Apparently when it comes to copywriting about this category, "constipation" is OUT, and "cleansing your body" is IN. The TV spot looks much more like a hair care or makeup spot (or perhaps even apparel) than the usual spot in the category does.
The CD on the account (from Publicis, in the interest of full disclosure) explains the rationale for the new direction (which sports the tagline "Beautify your insides"):
"When you feel healthy on the inside, it really does affect how you project yourself on the outside, and how you really look," says David Corr, executive creative director for Publicis Groupe, the agency that created the Metamucil ads. "Sure you want to put on a nice dress, but why wouldn't you want to tone your insides, too?"
The target is women ages 35 and up who are focused on wellness and looking good. "She's going to take the stairs instead of the elevator, eat wheat bread instead of white," Mr. Podiak says. "Appearances are important to her -- we're not saying she's made up to the nines, but she has lipstick on if she's driving the kids to daycare."
It will be interesting to see how the campaign uses interactive, viral and UGC. One can only imagine the content the target could create on this topic (colonoscopy video, anyone?), personal stories about how satisfying it is to have clean pipes, etc.
What's next, Drano for beautifying your pipes?
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