Juice TV Spots Offer Hard-Hitting Message

Advertiser: Langers Juice Co.

Agency: Buckley/Friedman Advertising, Costa Mesa

Challenge: Introduce a new line of fortified juices and build name recognition for family-owned Langers in the company’s first TV campaign.

The Ad: An elderly women in a lab coat is seen test-tasting juice when a break whistle blows. The scene shifts to a roller hockey game taking place in the company’s yard, as an off-screen announcer explains that vitamins and minerals have been added to the juice. One player bumps another, knocking him to the ground. The antagonist turns out to be grandma, who taunts the fallen player: “Is that all you got?” A company supervisor watching the game from afar comments: “Maybe we should cut grandma’s tasting to once a week.”

Comment: Though we’ve seen tough, can-do grandmas before, the approach seems to work for Langers, which is pitting its 100% juice drinks against products from competitors more than 10 times its size. Grandma’s high-energy level implies that fortified Langers drinks can juice you up, without the ads making explicit health claims that could get Langers in trouble with government regulators. $$+