New York Times is reporting on the return of an iconic TV commerical.
Comedian Kathy Griffin appears in a remake of one of Madison Avenue’s most popular commercials, a humorous 1971 spot for Alka-Seltzer known as “Try it, you’ll like it.” The re-created commercial is to begin running today on television as well as on the brand’s Web site (alka-seltzer.com).
This is the second time that Bayer Consumer Care and BBDO New York have revived a vintage commercial created by Wells Rich Greene. In December, two cast members of “Everybody Loves Raymond,” Doris Roberts and Peter Boyle, appeared in a remake of the 1972 Alka- Seltzer spot known as “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing.
The revived commercials are part of ambitious efforts by Bayer to sponsor campaigns that are more creative than is typical for prosaic products like over-thecounter remedies.
I think this is a good way to go for the brand, but I can’t help but reflect on what this says about the industry’s current level of creative output.
