SANDOZ DEUTSCHLAND | OTTER | 2024
The constipation ad was written by two brand-new interns / SANDOZ DEUTSCHLAND "OTTER"
The radio ad "OTTER" was written by two interns who hadn't even gotten used to their business cards yet. And the subject matter? Poop jokes. Somehow it won a Gold Lion at Cannes.
The problem
The project for the laxative brand "Hexal" actually started as an idea from a Belgian team. They couldn't find a local pharmaceutical client to partner with, so it ended up being brought to Sandoz in Germany instead.
The insight
Constipation is the kind of topic that gets a lot less awkward the moment you turn it into a joke. Two interns from Miami Ad School who were working at Serviceplan Hamburg landed on the idea of taking the familiar style of a documentary narrated by a British voice and layering casual bathroom humor on top of it.
The idea
The two interns put together a rough script along with an AI mock recording and showed it to the global ECD, who loved it. From there it kept developing, and together with CCO Till Diestel they turned it into a full script. In the end, a sound designer added rich ambient sound, completing a series of four ads including "OTTER."
What happened
It won a Gold Lion in the Audio & Radio category at Cannes Lions 2024, recognized specifically for its script.
Afterthought
An idea born in Belgium had nowhere to go, ended up at a German laxative brand, and finally landed in the hands of two interns who turned it into a Gold Lion. When you think about how a project comes together through this kind of chain of coincidences, it's strangely encouraging. Anyone, it seems, might just get their big break out of nowhere.
Awards
- Cannes Lions Gold 2024
