
Having to deal with an angry Mr.
Spacely (of Spacely Sprockets), a teenage daughter, an overeager son and a "crazy" dog-walking treadmill, it should come as no surprise that George Jetson gets heartburn. But, luckily for
George, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare has enlisted the cartoon character as its spokesman for a new extension of its famous Tums brand, in the form of an instant-dissolve powder called Tums
QuikPak.
"When you think about the Jetsons, you think about three things: speed, innovation and convenience," Sydney Rollock, VP/health and wellness for the Pittsburgh-based company,
tells Marketing Daily. "With Tums QuikPak, we deliver all of those things. It's the fastest Tums ever. We felt the Jetsons could help us convey speed."
A new television
commercial began airing on Monday. In the spot, George eats a chili dog with the works and is immediately struck by heartburn. He calls out for his wife ("JaaaAANE") but before she can get
to him, their robotic maid Rosie gives him a packet of Tums Quick Pak. The spot closes with the family dog, Astro, singing the familiar Tums jingle, "Ruff, ruff, ruff, ruff, RUFF!"
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The new powder will not replace Tums' familiar antacid tablets, Pollock says. Research showed consumers wanted faster heartburn relief, and the quickest way to achieve that was through a
dissolvable powder form. "In our modern world, people want fast relief," Rollock says "Some will always gravitate to the tablet. That's just an icon unto itself."
The
Jetsons commercial is the first salvo in a departure from the company's familiar campaign that depicted customers at a diner counter, Rollock says. In that campaign, one customer would express the
need for quick heartburn relief, and the other would offer Tums, sometimes noting they contain calcium.
"The diner had insulated the brand, and we felt it was time to take the brand out
of the diner, leverage its iconic status," Rollock says. "We reserve the right to bring back the diner, but I think we're going to give the diner a break and illustrate a different side
of the brand. The Jetsons commercial is the first way of doing that."