Do ad creatives like that Novartis butts into the Big Game?
For its second year in the Super Bowl, Novartis, a global innovative medicines company and the official pharmaceutical partner of the NFL, is focusing on testing for prostate cancer, and they’re bringing in “tight ends” to help.
The campaign, “Relax, It’s a Blood Test,” features several NFL tight ends, including George Kittle (San Francisco 49ers), Colby Parkinson (Los Angeles Rams), and Rob Gronkowski (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), along with Super Bowl-winning coach (and prostate cancer survivor) Bruce Arians, joining to raise awareness for testing, noting that the initial screenings can be done with a blood test.
The 60-second ad, which aired after halftime, showcased the tight ends relaxing and urges men to stop clenching their bottoms at the thought of testing, especially since one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetimes.
But are creatives feeling relaxed about the ad? See below:
Ari Abramovici, CCO, GUT LA
I’ve always believed that every brief can lead to many good solutions—but only one truly perfect answer. In this case, they found it. Framing [prostate] cancer detection around the Super Bowl, and landing on the tight ends analogy, is genuinely brilliant. Smart, unexpected, and hilarious. Huge congrats to the team.
Omid Amidi, co-chief creative officer, McKinney
Novartis, though, was the real standout. As an agency with a strong leadership position in health and lifestyle, McKinney sees firsthand how health is taking on a bigger role and a bigger stage at the Super Bowl this year. In a category dominated by safe, clinical messaging, Novartis took a real swing, using football as an easy, universal entry point for a much bigger message, and wasn’t afraid to be a little dumb, a little funny, and yes, literally about releasing tension. That kind of confidence is rare in pharma, and it’s why the work cuts through.
Elaine Cox, chief creative officer, Saatchi & Saatchi:
America’s backsides have stepped into the future. Airing during football’s most tense game, Novartis offers a moment of collective unclenching for nervous tight ends everywhere. A ridiculously memorable way to make sure that people do the right thing for their health.
Doug Kamp, chief creative officer, Mower:
As a former football player, I’ve heard more than my fair share of tight end jokes, so I was waiting for the punchline from the start. Even so, I was pleasantly surprised,—both with the Enya-backed lead up and the playful journey that took me there. Given the audience, the use of legendary current and former tight ends immediately connects. Add the juxtaposition of fully uniformed players in relaxing, yet incongruous environments and curiosity builds. When Bruce Arians finally delivers the payoff with a not-so-subtle raising of the finger, revealing that the prostate exams are now finger-free, I’m sure every man of a certain age collectively relaxed as well. I applaud the serious message embedded in the ‘cheeky’ humor.