AbelsonTaylor for Astellas's AmBisome

SMILING BEAR

AbelsonTaylor

BRAND AmBisome CLIENT Astellas FROM LEFT: Janet Kleve, creative director; Tim Brennan, senior art director; Donna Arey, senior copywriter; Lauren Cunningham, senior art director; Caren Spigland, senior copywriter

When Astellas' AmBisome marketing campaign needed an upgrade to set it apart from the competition, AbelsonTaylor came up with a "fierce yet friendly" promotional tactic. AmBisome was already viewed as a powerful way to combat invasive fungal infections, but the excellent safety of the drug compared to others' containing amphotericin B was often overlooked. AT's creative team devised a campaign that captured this quality in an eye-catching and effective display. The smiling bear translates AmBisome's brand essence from "power that's safer" to "friendlier power." This idea is also reflected in the bold and clever slogan: "Fierce on fungus. Kinder to kidneys."

Bright ideas don't always come easily, though. "We needed to communicate our position to the physician, and make sure the sales force was on board," says AT's Janet Kleve. "Since we were dealing with a serious disease state, we needed to weigh the tone of the branding and the promise of the product with physicians."

They made the grade. According to Kleve, physicians found the campaign memorable, and sales reps were ready and willing to use it.