The Most Lovely and Surprising Ad You'll See Today Is for Viagra

Setting aside jokes and cliché, VMLY&R tells a touching, relatable story of distance in relationships

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Erectile dysfunction is rarely spoken about openly, and as a result most Viagra ads are creatively awkward, reaching for humor, metaphor or cliché—if not all of the above.

This can have the unintentional effect of making the issue seem too taboo or embarrassing to discuss–which VMLY&R London has recognized in its latest, surprisingly lovely campaign for Viagra Connect. The product, which first went on the market in 2018, is an over-the-counter version of Viagra.

In a departure from typical Viagra advertising styles, the agency has made a sensitive animated hero film called “Love Story,” which it hopes will shift the conversation around erectile issues and make communication more open.

Animated by Sao Paulo’s Zombie Studio, produced by BlinkInk and set to a somber cover of The Proclaimers’ “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles),” the film shows how stress, work, poor eating habits and the other challenges of everyday life can create distance in a...

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