zicam: the product launch that reinvented the cold remedy

When it launched, Zicam Cold Remedy was a game-changer in OTC remedies. It shortens the duration of a cold, rather than just masking symptoms. We thought an untraditional remedy called for untraditional cold remedy advertising; as Seinfeld might say, no hugging, no smiling, and no spots featuring sick couples in bed late at night... He turns on the light, "I can't sleep..." yadda yadda yadda... the next morning everything's fine... yuck.
   The creative brief highlighted the fact that colds are spread in enclosed spaces. We thought setting the launch spot in a space shuttle could be a fertile location for memorable hijinks.

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In the year after launch, we came up with a campaign called The Short Cold, back-to-back :15s that played off of the word "short."