Thursday, September 11, 2008

Do you need reasons to celebrate being diabetic ?

A passing glimpse of the Ad seem to imply that.

However the matter is more serious.

Bayer Health Care want to claim that their new glucometer, Contour_Ts, is more reliable, user friendly as compared to others in the market. This,they claim to have achieved by making the batch coding of the strips redundant.

In order to grasp this message I had to read, re-read the Ad.


The 'Header' though announces about 'Blood sugar testing...decoded' did not sink-in quickly as I felt 'what is there to code in blood sugar?'

Later I realized that the Ad is referring to the change of 'coding chip' before the use of a new box of strips as in the case of their competitors. This of course is supplied with every box of strips one buys.

Touch wood, I am not a diabetic but I have seen and used the conventional instrument referred . I am not aware of any coding confusion though technically there is some
probability .

What initially amused me was the picture of the lady with a big smile as if she has been presented a new mobile or a camera.

The bigger picture showing the model leaning on to a wall with a tired smile seem to remind a case of dysmenorrhoea rather than diabetic. She does not look old enough to run the risk of diabetes.

The copy of the Ad is meandering by explaining the basics of diabetes like the need for balance in medication exercise, food etc.

Rather the copy should have concentrated presenting a case study on 'how the need for changing the coding chip' can create confusion or inconsistency in results between different batches of strips.

The copy should directly point out the advantages of Bayer's technology in comparison to others in achieving the desired consistency.

The purpose of the Ad is really meant for those who are already diabetic and are aware of the glucometer in instant measurement
. They don't need a sermon on balancing diet exercise and drug :(

There seem to be a lack of rapport between the technical team and marketing team of the Company.