technology

Personal Genetics Firm 23andMe Debuts First Campaign

You've heard of this company -- especially if you have a hypochondria bent and would love to know everything you can about your chances of developing the worst disease you can think of at the moment. It's 23andMe, the Silicon Valley-based firm that can tell you, among other things, what your genetic predisposition is for this or that ailment (think Angelina Jolie. Or if you're dystopian by nature, the movie “Gattaca,” where peoples' fates are determined by genetic predisposition.). 

The company -- which was co-founded by Google founder Sergey Brin's wife Anne Wojcicki and went into business in 2007 -- is going beyond buzz with its first-ever ad push. It's also the first major campaign in what is now a bona fide consumer genetics industry. The company says the campaign, "Portraits of Health" -- via Boston-based Arnold Worldwide -- is part of an effort, fueled by a new round of funding, to build its customer base to one million by year's end.  

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The $5 million campaign comprises national cable, radio and digital elements. While the ads feature real actors, there's a reality element: the actors are viewing their actual 23andMe test results while interacting with graphics to help illustrate their personal experience. The idea, per the company, is that 23andMe lets you grab your health by the horns via DNA knowledge.

Said Andy Page, president of 23andMe, in a statement: “23andMe pioneered direct-to-consumer genetic testing, and our investment in advertising also represents a first-of-its-kind TV campaign that pioneers advertising for the direct-to-consumer genetic testing industry as well.” 

While the company hasn't run an ad campaign in the past, it has gotten airtime -- literally -- by putting its name on the giant Zeppelin Eureka. 

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