Investigate new forms of direct communication as a means to educate UK General Practitioners (GPs) of the benefits of Actonel, a new osteoporosis treatment.Minimise the reliance of personal visits to surgeries from medical sales reps.Provide a long-lasting reminder of the key benefits of prescribing Actonel.

Actonel felt like a wonder drug, and this reminded us of advertising in the Atomic Age, the 1950s, when a host of technological innovations came to market. It also gave us the opportunity to bring a smile and a moment’s relief to the stressful days of our target audience. After all, that's what GPs do for their patients.We created a quirky 1950s film distributed through an online forum for GPs and as a DVD in a Direct Mail pack posted to 3,000 GPs. The mail pack contained a personalised strip of 'celluloid' from the film.

100% of GPs viewed the DVD mail pack and 71% agreed in a follow-up questionnaire that there should be more future communication presented in this style. 38% of GPs said they will consider increasing their prescription of Actonel following this Direct campaign.As an indication of client appreciation, the agency has joined P&G's annual global innovation forum in Geneva to investigate further Digital and Direct routes to market.