The Story Behind JBJ's Advil Endorsement

From Forbes:

Rocker Jon Bon Jovi–whose movie “New Year’s Eve” comes out tonight–is doing his first verbal endorsement of a product in an ad campaign in his 30-year career with TV spots for Pfizer’s Advil.

The TV ad, which broke today, was shot in Red Bank, N.J., at the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Kitchen, a non-profit community kitchen that opened in October as an initiative of the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, of which Advil is a sponsor.

During a tour last year, Bon Jovi–No. 8 on this year’s Forbes Celebrity 100 list–injured his calf muscle while performing on stage in New Jersey. In a later interview, he explained that he uses Advil for aches and pains related to touring and performing. He tells his own story in the Advil TV ad, joining other Advil users who similarly share their testimonials in the latest campaign.

Brian Groves, VP-CMO of U.S. Consumer Healthcare at Pfizer, talked with me today about the new campaign and why Jon Bon Jovi was the right fit.

Why Jon Bon Jovi?

He’s a fantastic icon in American pop culture and we love incorporating him into our “Real Advil Stories” campaign because while he’s a celebrity, he’s also a real guy. He is a very recognizable real guy. This is the first time that Jon has verbally endorsed a brand that he uses in his life in a TV commercial.

How did you make it happen?

He hurt his calf on stage during a concert and he was telling a reporter about it and how he was taking Advil, so our team contacted his team to see if he liked this idea and he graciously accepted. Our team presented Jon with the “Real Advil Stories” campaign. Jon’s a unique individual for a lot of reasons, but he’s not unique in his pain suffering. We liked mixing a guy who was a very regular guy in his personal life in this “real stories” campaign, and we think he’s been a terrific fit.

[The campaign is] not just about celebrities by any stretch. Jon’s ad is the fifth in production and only two–one with Jon and one with Regis Philbin–incorporate the celebrity component. The celebrities are acting as recognizable, real people with real pain.

Why hadn’t he done any product endorsements in 30 years?

I think it gets back to his being an authentic entertainer and actor and philanthropist. I’m sure his time is very precious to him. I haven’t talked to him specifically about why he hasn’t endorsed other brands, but we’re delighted he endorsed Advil.

How does his brand align with yours?

Jon is an authentic American icon, as is Advil, and Jon’s brand, in his entertainment life and his business and philanthropy, appears very focused on solving problems and getting right to the point and that’s how we feel about Advil. It is an authentic American icon that gets right to the point of relieving the pain and giving people the freedom to get back to their very busy lives, and that’s what the campaign is focused on.

What’s your overall philosophy on celebrity in advertising?

We don’t have a stated philosophy on celebrities endorsing our products. Where we see opportunity for synergy and partnership, we take advantage of that marketplace opportunity. The Advil situation is specific to Jon’s use of the product in his busy life and his not wanting to slow down. The “Take Action, Take Advil” tagline lines up perfectly with Jon’s brand. He was already a heavy brand user and agreed for the first time to endorse a product on television like this.

Is any payment from this going to his charity?

Advil does support the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation.