Frontline(R) Plus Reveals Killer Instinct in New Consumer Push

NEW YORK, April 23 /PRNewswire/ -- When it comes to fleas and ticks, pet owners liken the experience to going to war against the deadliest of foes, according to research conducted by market leader Frontline® Plus and its agency Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness (SSW), which used this insight in launching its new marketing campaign for the brand www.completekiller.com.

The new tagline "There's Killing and then there's Complete Killing," goes right for the jugular in differentiating Frontline Plus from other competitive products.  The positioning highlights the brand's distinguishing ability to bring about the demise of fleas at all three stages of the lifecycle – eggs, larvae and adult pests – as well as ticks on both dogs and cats.  This is in comparison to competitive products that only impact fleas at the adult stage.

"As the brand that has helped pet owners understand and address the issues caused by ticks and fleas for many years, we saw an opportunity to progress from an educational message to one that celebrates our superior performance and the satisfaction consumers get when using Frontline Plus," explained Mike Hutton, senior director Frontline Marketing.

To bring to life the Frontline Plus battle as it is activated on dogs and cats, SSW transformed the green liquid topical application into a fighting squad of green combatants.  As the green liquid spreads through the pet's coat, the green squad launches a search and destroy mission bringing down fleas, ticks, eggs and larvae with military precision.

"We were quite shocked to find out how passionate pet owners felt about killing fleas and ticks, which is not just an issue for pets but also for the household," explained Sarah Hall , SVP account director SSW.  "A flea and tick free pet is a happy, healthy pet and this new campaign really captures Frontline Plus' ability to kill fleas and ticks."

The multi-channel marketing campaign includes television, print and integrated digital platforms.  A new website has been developed by SSW that features information, education, how-to-use video's on applying Frontline and even a game where consumers can take out their frustrations on dealing with fleas and ticks in all their life stages.  Interactive banner advertising provides free coupons and sample applications.

About  Merial

Merial is a world-leading, innovation-driven animal health company, providing a comprehensive range of products to enhance the health, well-being and performance of a wide range of animals. Merial employs approximately 5,700 people and operates in more than 150 countries worldwide. Its 2009 sales were $2.6 billion. Merial is the Animal Health subsidiary of sanofi-aventis.

For more information, please see www.merial.com.

About Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness

Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness is a fully integrated wellness agency. The agency handles integrated marketing for clients along the entire wellness spectrum including Nexium, Ambien CR, Plavix, Durex, Frontline and Transitions, among others.  The agency provides a full-range of marketing solutions including advertising, digital, direct, promotion and social marketing strategies. The agency was created to leverage the value of marketing wellness as a differentiator for healthcare, lifestyle, food and other brands.  Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness is a unit of the Saatchi & Saatchi Healthcare Communications Group, part of the Publicis Healthcare Communications Group.  For more information visit the agency's website at www.saatchiwellness.com, or its blog at www.saatchiwellness.blogspot.com.

SOURCE Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness