Marquardt Breaks First Ads for Dickinson

BOSTON Marquardt & Roche and Partners touts the environmentally friendly properties of witch hazel in its first campaign for Dickinson Brands.

The Stamford, Conn., shop created a 30-second radio spot that features a woman placing a telephone call to Earth, thanking the planet for making Dickinson’s witch hazel because it contains only natural, botanically based ingredients and cleans without drying.

“I make it all myself, you know, with a little help from the sun,” Earth responds.

The spot will run in key markets in the South, with possible expansion into other regions, according to client marketing manager Brian Jackowitz. The campaign ties in with a partnership Dickinson has secured with cotton ball and makeup sponge manufacturers whereby a sample of the witch hazel is offered with their products.

The campaign represents the first advertising since the company launched in 1866; previously, it relied on word of mouth to gain customers.

“There’s always been a loyal customer base that promoted our products by word of mouth,” Jackowitz said. “The next logical step is to add traditional media to the mix.”

“We are fascinated with the prospect of doing the first advertising campaign for a company which was founded in 1866 and which has had distribution virtually everywhere for years and years,” said agency president Howard Meditz.

Spending was not disclosed. Print ads are a possibility in the future, Jackowitz said.