Gutsy ad-campaign for Buckley's vile, foul, miraculous cold-remedy
Jason sez, "This week, graphicology highlights an old campaign for Buckley's cough syrup. You have to hand it to the courageous marketing director who OK'd compairing it to the taste of trash bag leakage' in one radio spot, and to a 'public restroom puddle' in another TV commerical. Links to the creative is supplied."
Yes, it's a cool campaign, but the reason it's on Boing Boing is that Buckley's is my secret weapon in my war against infirmity. I can't survive through a cold without shots of the vile, milky fluid that tastes like liquid mothballs and battery acid. When I moved from Canada to the US, I brought along a huge cache of the stuff, and then again when I moved to the UK. Now I hear you can get Buckley's at some US pharmacies, which is great news for anyone with a sore throat, phlegmy chest, hacking cough and runny nose. Link (Thanks, Jason!)
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I used it when I had a bad case of bronchitus... Was by far one of the most foul tasting medicines I have ever had... Like drinking vicks vapor rub, but it worked...
It is great stuff, although you do eventually get sort of used to it.
Tastes horrible - the closest I can describe the taste is prison alcohol made out of pine needles, eucalyptus leaves. Drain cleaner is added so it burns when it goes down. Nasty aftertaste too.
Be warned, I've seen "Buckleys" in the States that is basically your standard sweet robitussin flavored stuff. Look under non medicinal ingredients to find "pine needle oil"
These ads are just old-fashioned GREAT - a real idea, clearly communicated; no special effects, no fashionable styling, no plagiarism. Every young agency creative ought to be made to watch them to see how it's done.
You can get, or at least you could, in my home town in Mud Island, a cough remedy called Policeman's Bottle. Basically, it's Eucalyptus, Squill tincture and camphorated opium. You got money off if you brought the bottle back for a refill.
I find Covonia (available in the UK, not sure about elsewhere) provokes a similar response in people. It's dark brown, and very odd-tasting. Kind of menthol-y. Does the trick on chesty/tickly coughs, though.
do others know the saying "s/he has Buckley's" as in "s/he has no chance"?
on reflection that's probably not why you'd call a medicine Buckley's.
I just started seeing ads for this and they make me gag. My wife said one of them referred to "spring break hot tub water" -- I can't believe with all the other stuff they censor that they allowed this phrase, considering the mental image of what that may contain.
I tried Buckley's once...it was worse than being sick.
Buckley's Mixture is the great Canadian cough remedy. It IS worse than being sick, but gaging it down is great entertainment for anyone around you. :-)
The tagline "It's tastes awful and it works" sums the whole thing up.
not to be a know it all but they've been running with this ad campaign for a while now.
Link to history
I remember seeing similar ads about 10 or 15 years ago on sunday television here in St. Louis.
My husband and I saw this ad for the first time last week. Since then, we've seen several and absolutely *Heart* this campaign! I'm willing to try it if it works!
Buckley's is like a tactical Nuclear strike. It's horrible, you never forget it, and it works.
That being said I love the stuff and me chugging it down by the mouthful provides endless amusement to my girlfriend.
Buckley's is, indeed, vile. I dreaded my mother giving it to me as a child.
But it's a part of our culture. And it works.
Last winter they had a stand setup at Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto doing video auditions for their national television ad campaign. The one that scares my cat under the bed.
Having followed the links and read the ingredients, this sounds like an amalgam of the conventional OTC medicine I use combined with Olbas' cough syrup, minus the honey. The lack of honey would be pretty traumatic, but the ease of getting both medicines in one product would probably be worth it.
Are there any chains in the US that carry it, or only independent stores?