Tums® has long dominated the market in OTC heartburn relief. It’s been around so long, it’s become tradition. Pepcid® on the other hand, had just returned to the market after a two-year hiatus. We were the small brand that needed a big comeback.

Our best bet? Take on Tums® and challenge brand loyalists to question their choice. Or rather, non-choice. Tums® users don't think about what they're taking. They simply take Tums® because they always have, even though its relief doesn't last.

Pepcid® has an advantage. It works fast and lasts. To shake Tums® users out of their complacency, we introduced them to their stubborn selves. The Burns family, a dysfunctional family with a fiery tradition of heartburn, mirrors the blind-faith of the Tums® user. Except for one son, Randy, who has discovered Pepcid®. But if he has any hope of convincing his family and America to break their Tums® tradition, he'll need some serious help.

TV alone wouldn’t cut it. Tums® would massively outspend us. So Pepcid® went non-traditional, with heavy media weight online. We took advantage of contextual holidays like Thanksgiving. And Tums® users got the message. Pepcid brand favorability shot up 10.6% and sales followed, increasing +18%.

Pepcid Presents: The Burns Family

The Burns take Tums®. Does it last? No. But hey, like most Tums® users, they don’t think about it. Ever. After all, they’re stuck in their ways. We pushed the humor and ridiculousness to exaggerate this point. A fresh, witty humor allowed Pepcid® to steal attention and break through the category clutter with a clever new voice. The Burns showed up in pre-roll for family sitcoms, on YouTube and even at Thanksgiving dinner. At every turn, their humor helped Tums® complacents relate to the Burns and laugh at their own dysfunctional behavior.

After two years of silence from the brand, The Burns Family campaign was heard loud and clear by consumers. Pepcid sales jumped +18% in the first 17 weeks. Our share grew from 4.2% to 4.9% in the same amount of time. Brand Favorability also jumped +10.6%. And by the end of 2013, Pepcid® was the only H2 medication to increase its YOY household penetration. Not bad for the little guy.