Hope, Not Hype, From Breathe Right

Advertiser: CNS Inc.

Agency: Martin/Williams Advertising, Minneapolis

Challenge: Build awareness of Breathe Right nasal strips as a sleep aid.

The Ads: The bedroom of a woman is converted into a peaceful lagoon after she places a Breathe Right strip across her nose and manages to fall asleep. A swan glides through the water around her bed while the soundtrack plays “Dream a Little Dream of Me.” A voice-over suggests, “If you can’t sleep well . . . it may be because you can’t breathe well through the nose.”

Comments: CNS has clearance from the Food and Drug Administration to tout the strips’ effectiveness in reducing snoring and providing temporary relief from nasal congestion. The spot, the first from the company’s new agency, seems to demonstrate how the strips may be useful, without overstating the benefits. The commercial is scheduled to air on late-night television and during early-morning news shows, when a good night’s sleep is most on viewer’s minds. Whether a damp lagoon is everyone’s idea of peaceful slumber is debatable. $$$

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