Aardman partners with Agency Bray Leino to create a commercial for Otex Ear Drops.
This new ad uses a more engaging, abstract approach to deliver its message, rather than the more direct, clinical methods the brand has used in the past. The ad uses radio interference as a metaphor for the problem of hearing impairment due to ear wax build-up, introducing the product as a solution towards the end of the spot.
A radio tries with increasing difficulty to stay tuned in to a series of emotive life sounds, such as a sizzling Sunday morning breakfast, spring birdsong and the seaside. As the needle swings back and forth, the radio finds it harder to tune in as the sounds are drowned out by static.
“Is earwax interfering with your hearing?” asks the voiceover. “Trust clinically proven Otex.”
The ad represents a bold, imaginative and engaging creative shift that befits the brand's status as a category leader.
Director duo Karni and Saul and the rest of the team at Aardman helped realise the script brilliantly, displaying the impeccable attention to detail they've become famous for – particularly in their art direction, model-making and set design.
The campaign includes a 30 second, 20 second and two ten second spots. The first will air across national TV networks this week, with the campaign carried through consumer and trade press.
Antonia Goldring, Otex Brand Manager, said “We’re delighted with Otex’s new TV ad and we believe it will really make us stand out as market leaders. We fell in love with Bray Leino’s concept as soon as it was presented to us and Aardman have done such a fantastic job bringing it to life in a very nostalgic and charming way. A job very well done!”
Aardman directors Karni and Saul said: “The radio idea lent itself perfectly to our intimate style of shooting, and the sounds we chose were to represent sounds you would miss or sounds that you had an emotional connection too… like Sunday morning or first birthday.
Jon Elsom, Executive Creative Director at Bray Leino, said: “This is a bold campaign that we believe will strike a deeper chord than some of the drier, less creative work we see in the OTC arena. This ad distils the essence of the consumer issue and delivers a very clear message in an abstract, appealing way. The Aardman team’s production values and enthusiasm for the project meant that execution of our concept was carried through flawlessly, and I’m pleased to note we have another great piece of creative to add to our growing 2013 portfolio.”
Source: Aardman Animations
Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.
