Great Radio Ad for Buckley's

I heard one of the best radio ads in a long time yesterday, and it was for Buckley's Cough Syrup. I can't remember it word for word, but the concept was plain as day, and brilliant from a marketing standpoint.

Basically a guy calls up what equates to the "Buckley's Customer Service Center," and starts complaining about how awful the cough syrup tasted, likening it to all kinds of disgusting things. The support person agrees, and fully acknowledges it. She said that their cough syrup certainly does taste horrible. Then she asks the man about his cough, to which he replies he hasn't coughed since he took the medicine. Point made.

This is a classic example of great branding, because the company explicitly says that it's cough medicine isn't supposed to taste good or even "not that bad," but that it tastes extremely awful. However, the point of the medicine is to stop your cough, not taste good. So they demonstrate that perfectly with this ad, and with their entire campaign. They have television spots, too. They even have a Buckley's MySpace page that, although I'm not a fan of MySpace, was executed fairly well.

I will definitely keep this brand in mind the next time I get sick and have a bad cough. I just have to see how bad it really tastes! And also see if it works!