Irvine-based Allergan Inc. launched a year-long public relations campaign to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the first approved uses of its wrinkle remover Botox: to treat misalignment of the eyes and uncontrolled blinking.
The campaign’s first installment, a 15-minute video, features several neurologists who contributed to the development of the popular drug, including Mitchell Brin, Allergan’s senior vice president of global development and chief scientific officer for Botox.
Five patients, whose ailments include migraines, overactive bladder and muscle stiffness in the arm, also share their stories about how Botox treatment helped them regain better quality of life.
“The history of Botox therapeutic is really a remarkable story of how a substance from nature has been successfully harnessed for medical benefit,” Scott Whitcup, Allergan’s executive vice president, research and development, and chief scientific officer, said in a news release. “It’s also a human interest story that starts with the scientists and the physicians who observed the impact of Botox in treating certain medical conditions, tracked that impact, and did something about it. Without this pioneering spirit, we would not have been able to pursue the clinical development and FDA approval of many of the therapeutic indications we now have for Botox.”
The video can be viewed on the brand’s website, botox.com. Allergan will donate funds for every view it generates to four patient advocacy organizations: the Benign Essential Blepharospasm Research Foundation, the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation, the National Headache Foundation, and the National Association for Continence.
They will partner with the company to “help raise awareness, educate and support people living with any of the medical conditions currently being treated with Botox,” according to the release.
The campaign was created by Allergan’s public relations agency.
The drug maker spent $179 million last year on marketing, according to New York-based Kantar Media.
In other Allergan-related news, the drug maker last week formally rejected Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc.’s hostile $46 billion takeover bid.
Digital Threads
Fullerton-based Yokohama Tire Corp. kicked off “I Am Yokohama,” its “most aggressive branding campaign to date,” with two 30-second TV spots that use computer-generated imagery to highlight various elements of tire components and design.
“We feel that this campaign separates us from the masses,” Andrew Briggs, Yokohama’s director of marketing and product planning, said in a news release. “We wanted to get people to see tires and the technology that goes into them in a completely different way, so the campaign tells everything from the tire’s perspective.”
The ads, titled “The Co-Pilot” and “The Original,” are airing nationally on network and cable TV and can also be seen on Yokohama’s YouTube channel.
The ad campaign also includes a microsite, www.iamyokohama.com, produced by Irvine-based Ink, the brand’s digital agency of record.
Yokohama is the North American manufacturing and marketing subsidiary of Tokyo-based Yokohama Rubber Co.
Texas Calling
Trinity University, a San Antonio-based private university, is launching an $85,000 marketing effort to woo Orange County students to its campus.
The marketing campaign, created by K. Sutherland PR in Irvine, will include “commissioning a full time admissions counselor, as well as enlisting … public relations and marketing outreach initiatives,” such as print and digital ads in the Orange County Register.
Bits & Pieces
Fountain Valley-based Hyundai Motor America Inc., whose parent is corporate sponsor of the FIFA World Cup in Brazil, will promote the newly released Sonata and Genesis models on Univision and ESPN during tournament coverage from June 12 to July 15. … The Anaheim/Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau released a video series entitled “Faces of Tourism,” which tells stories about frontline staff and hospitality industry veterans who make tourism work.
