Name of Company: Schering-Plough
Agency which created Ad: Thomas Ferguson Associates
Agency submitting: Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide
Creative Rationale – What makes this ad special Four years post-launch, Claritin, and the 4 line extensions (Claritin D-12, Claritin D-24, Claritin Syrup and Claritin Redi-Tabs) were promotionally aligned under a single auspice: the “Nothing But Blue Skies…”campaign. The premise was no less than owning the air, clarity at all times, the limitlessness of the sky above. The blue sky graphics carried across all promotional materials, including the full range of DTC advertising. Literally millions of Blue Sky pharmacy bags were distributed to consumers, regardless of what prescription they were having filled.
Blue Sky iconography was so strong that no other brand would even consider an outdoor concept if it looked like they contained “too much” sky. When Claritin went OTC, the blue sky graphics went with it, and continues on all packaging to this day – as does the theme “Claritin Clear”, in which an impediment is removed, and a brilliant blue sky revealed.
At its peak, Claritin achieved over $4 billion dollars in annual sales.
Any awards and honors received:
We cannot find documentation of all the different honors awarded this campaign, but there were many, including Ad Age Brand of the Year. The ad can also be found on page 216 of Medicine Avenue 2.