This campaign features a disgusting yet ultimately likeable character named Mr. Mucus who unsuccessfully attempts to insinuate himself into peoples’ lives. The character was developed in CGI by Psyop studios. He was given a new comedic voice and placed in the real world so he could better interact with consumers.

The campaigned launched at the start of the season on TV and in movie theatres with a brand spot that established Mucinex’s new kick-ass attitude (Let’s End This), as well as teased the new look and voice of Mr. Mucus.

BuzzFeed and Huffington Post content was created to further seed the strategy of fighting sick. We promoted these the first 6 weeks of the season through social media.

Product-specific TV ads and online videos played up relevant consumer insights - like coughing in a movie theatre or watching YouTube when you can’t sleep.

Geo-targeted banners (powered by WedMD data) tapped into specific markets wherever and whenever the flu was one the rise. So if a flu outbreak was about to hit Chicago, we were there.

And Mr. Mucus himself went viral when he personally responded to real tweets about being sick via the MR. MUCUS READS SICK TWEETS program.

Brand Results:

Mucinex takes over as the #1 OTC Brand.

That’s #1 brand of ALL OTC brands, not just cough, cold and flu brands.

The next nearest competitor is almost $50 million behind.

Brand growth outpaces the category growth. Growth is being driven by communications - literally.

Nightime is up 32%

Mucinex (base product) is up 13%

Mucinex DM is up 14%

Character Evolution:

Data strongly supports the shift from a character people hate to one they love to hate.

Positive active engagement with the brand was maintained while negative engagement, which had historically been a problem for the brand, declined.

When asked specifically about the mucus character, he was seen as more likeable compared to prior ads.

Mr. Mucus Reads Sick Tweets:

Over 2.5 million views.

7 million impressions.

View rates and completion rates are 1.6X benchmarks.