CAMPAIGN TARGETS CONSUMERS FOR FIRST TIME
By Adnews Staff
Hoeschst Marion Roussel of Laval, Que. is targeting the consumer market for the first time to promote its Nicoderm nicotine patch. The campaign uses a TV ad that features extreme close-ups of a man having his last cigarette. He indicates he is quitting by using Nicoderm because it's the patch most prescribed by doctors. The camera reveals that he himself is a doctor standing outside the emergency room. The campaign was created by Publicis SMW of Toronto. Until recently, Nicoderm was available only by prescription so it could only be promoted in medical journals and PR targeting doctors. The federal government switched nicotine patches from prescription to non-prescription status earlier this year. Hoeschst Marion Roussel also markets Nicorette, a nicotine gum that was switched from prescription status to an over-the-counter stop smoking tool in 1992.