Commit - experience quitting

Changing habits and beating addictions is one of the most difficult things we do. Whether it is losing weight or quitting smoking, a drug alone is not enough - there has to be a support system.

The branding for Commit Lozenges is about associations. First, the ad communication dials into what associations commonly trigger a smoker's cravings. "I only smoke when I drink." "I like a cigarette after a meal." "I smoke when I'm out with friends."

Then, the website creates positive associations of quitting.

Commit offers not only a relief to cravings but includes on their website "My Quit Place" which provides a dosing calculator, a trigger detector, and a cravings pacifier, all of which are designed to help smokers break their habit.

"Quitting is a process, not an event," the website tells us. Great advice like this is all throughout the site. But my favorite is the Savings Calculator. This features lets you input the cost per pack of cigarettes and how many cigarettes you smoke each day. It then spits back how much money that is costing you each day, week, month, and year. For a society that is very financially driven, this is a great addition to the raft of reasons to quit.

Zomig – Redefining Speed

In the modern landscape of cable television, high-speed internet, technologically advanced business, and instant information, customers expect instant results. Everything is about speed. We want faster travel, faster acting drugs, faster lines, faster computers, faster growth, faster returns.

If you’re a migraine sufferer, or even if you have ever had a really bad headache, the last thing you want to do is wait for a pain reliever to take effect. But you also don’t want that effect to wane after just a few hours.

Enter Zomig Nasal Spray.

What do you think migraine treatment is? What do you think is fast? Zomig throws both notions out the door – instead of a pill, it is a nasal spray for acute migraine treatment. And instead of taking 2 hours to take effect, Zomig claims it can bring relief in just 10 minutes.

This brand ties back strongly to the element of "likeability." The claim is faster than fast, which is certainly attractive. Then, add the cute and cleverly costumed bunny. It is a winner.

alli Branding: Product + Experience

Are you ready? That is the question that alli, the only FDA approved diet pill, asks prominently on their website, MyAlli.com. “Have you got what it takes to follow the alli™ program? Before you begin, be sure alli is right for you. You don't just try alli to see what happens. You have to commit to a plan that's realistic; one based on gradual weight loss.”

Honesty. What a concept. But this is a perfect example of branding – a quality offering combined with a quality experience. GlaxoSmithKline knows that there is no wonder pill that magically makes you skinny. And they know that consumers know that (even if they don’t want to admit it).

So they have designed the alli brand with honesty as the cornerstone. You have to work to get thin. The OTC drug can help, “but it’s more than just a pill. It’s an innovative weight loss program. The pill works by preventing your body from absorbing some of the fat you eat. And the program includes an individually tailored, online action plan to help you lose weight safely and gradually.”

By painting an honest picture, they are not creating false hopes. And by including the customer in the overall experience, they are tying that customer to the brand in a powerful way.

This is the kind of branding that could move more pharma products “Forward. Fast.”

The secret’s in the ink – the partnership of “E Ink” and Kindle

You may have heard of e-books, but the technology of reading them has not been able to make electronic books accessible. Critics of e-books have cited sensory connection problems as the culprit for the lack of adoption. Books have a certain feel, a certain smell, and there is just something about turning a page. But it was the visual element that caused the biggest problem. Reading a book on a computer screen was hard on the eyes.

Enter E Ink Corporation, who creates “electronic paper display (EPD) technologies. Products made with E Ink's revolutionary electronic ink possess a paper-like high contrast appearance, ultra-low power consumption and a thin, light form.” The applications of this product go far beyond e-book technology, from signs to marquis and beyond.

But the innovations don’t stop there. Kindle is a pretty simple collection of existing technologies. It is a portable computer – nothing new. It is a web browser – nothing new. And it uses a cellular modem – nothing new. What is new is the whole package – a portable dedicated web browser that connects you to the internet and allows you to download and read books, newspapers, and blogs on a screen that reads like ink on paper. What’s more, you can bookmark pages and even make notes in the text.

What a package!