To target young, life-science researchers who are working in pharmaceutical company research departments and academic research institutions, Makovsky Company created a unique ad campaign for Pharmacia Biotech featuring blond Scandinavian actors making jokes about an obscure Swedish medical device.
The campaigns ran for two consecutive years, in 26 countries, and appeared in major science/biotechnology publications including Nature, BioTechniques Nature Medicine, Nature Genetics and Genetic Engineering News. The use of the Web site address on the ads rather than a 800-number was designed to attract this "web savvy" audience.
The company used its Web site to track the ads. The campaign generated between 50,000 and 70,000 hits per week. With the success of the product launch, the company Pharmacia Biotech introduced an online catalog of products.
"The test of this campaign has been the dramatic impact it has had on our customers, sales force and employees," said Julian Stubbs, VP of marketing for the Pharmacia. (Makovsky Company, 212/508-9600)