Taking cues from the 1960s sci-fi flick Fantastic Voyage, Deutsch breaks the first of four new spots this week for General Nutrition Center that focus on the retail chain's supplements.
As a crew of scientists navigates a spaceship through the human body, they view the cartilage of a man's knee. "Looks like he's been using GNC's glucosamine chondroitin," one scientist says, noting how the cartilage has been strengthened. "He's obviously been to the joint-support center at GNC."
The spot, called "Knee," breaks nationally today and will run on shows such as Frasier, The Simpsons, The X-Files, Entertainment Tonight and The Oprah Winfrey Show.
"It's tough to do a commercial that communicates scientific data," said Scott Schindler, a Deutsch art director who worked on the new commercials. "We thought this was an entertaining way to demonstrate the way the product works."
Other ads using the "experts inside" concept will also have the current "GNC. Live well" tag. They will roll out in the second quarter as the crew journeys to other body parts to cite the health benefits of supplements and multi vitamins.
Spending behind the four spots was undisclosed, but GNC spent $25 million from January to October of 2000, per Competitive Media Reporting.
Deutsch, which has had GNC as a client since 1996, last summer ran some ads for the brand and its products that showed which supplements fit certain lifestyles.
Media planning and buying is handled by Media Partnership in Norwalk, Conn.