For around 13 million Americans, going to the bathroom – or rather not going to the bathroom – is all they can think about. Constipation, abdominal pain, and bloating make life a constant battle for control of their own bodies. If these symptoms persist at least once a week for more than three months, sufferers may have Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Constipation (IBS-C) and may require prescription treatment. 

IBS-C and CIC (Chronic Idiopathic Constipation) have hallmark physical and psychological symptoms that can take a heavy toll on sufferers’ daily lives:

• Physical symptoms, which occur at least once a week for more than three months:
  • Constipation
  • Bloating
  • Abdominal pain  
• Psychological: 
  • Lack of control over their own body and shame stemming from it
  • Stigma around pooping, especially for women 
  • Impaired confidence, productivity, and libido
  • Lack of validity of condition (“it’s not diabetes or cancer”)
  • Stress, anxiety, distraction, lack of confidence
  • Not taken seriously: poop is either a taboo or a punchline

Enduring these symptoms can drive sufferers to seek their own homeopathic remedies like prunes and fiber supplements, or OTC remedies like laxatives and enemas. These methods may provide short-term relief, but are often ineffective in the long-term and may cause even more problems with time. 

In addition, it’s difficult for sufferers to feel comfortable discussing their symptoms with others, including healthcare professionals. Instead, many people just assume there’s something “wrong” with them rather than seek professional treatment. 

This creates a trust challenge for sufferers, especially when it comes to seeking out a possible prescription; therefore, it’s important to message that a prescription can be the missing piece to their IBS-C treatment that actively helps them take back control (vs. a reactive short-term solution like OTC remedies).

But before the prescription conversation can start, these sufferers need to feel supported and ready, and that means educating them about IBS-C and validating their suffering as a legitimate medical condition that may require prescription treatment. And that's where the Tongal community comes in.

Create Concepts for a :30 second TVC for US audiences that will help sufferers of IBS-C.  

 

EXPOSURE:

The :30-second TVC is for national broadcast in the US, tying into an unbranded campaign across web, digital, radio, and social.

 

TARGET AUDIENCE:  

• Primary: Individuals proactively seeking relief from constipation with abdominal symptoms
• Secondary:
  • Sufferers who have seen their healthcare professional and have been advised to treat their condition with OTCs and lifestyle modifications and are not satisfied with results
  • Suffers who have normalized their symptoms and don’t see their condition as chronic or serious enough to visit their healthcare professional to discuss further
• Tertiary: The silent sufferers, individuals who are too embarrassed to seek help for fear of judgment from others, including their healthcare professional; they are self-managing with OTC products and are simply not getting the relief they deserve

 

TONE: 

Supportive, empathetic, validating, optimistic, and forward-looking. NOT humorous.

 

EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES: 

Your Concepts must help sufferers in three key ways: 

1. Validate their suffering and normalize their symptoms
2. Understand more about their medical condition and validate their “Rx-worthiness”
3. Encourage them to potentially find control and relief with a prescription treatment

At the same time, your Concepts need to include the ABCS of IBS-C to highlight the symptoms with this mnemonic device:

• Abdominal pain
• Bloating
• Constipation

It’s important to make sure the target audience feels empowered and understands that control of their condition is possible. They need to believe that they deserve relief and take the opportunity to seek proper treatment, starting with the right conversation with their healthcare professional.

As you have probably gathered, these are not conditions to be taken lightly, and we are NOT looking for humorous takes on the subject. Any concepts that rely solely on humor will be disqualified. 

• Oh My Gut! – this is the platform encompassing the campaign and key messaging 
• Constipation, abdominal pain, and bloating are legitimate symptoms and, if experienced at least one a week for more than three months, could indicate IBS-C
• IBS-C are valid medical conditions that may require prescription treatment
• Bloating is the #1 talked about symptom

NOTE:  Symptoms must always include constipation and abdominal symptoms that are chronic (returning again and again). Bloating and abdominal pain cannot stand alone in order to specifically communicate with IBS-C sufferers, and this isn’t aimed at patients with occasional constipation. Also, the medical definition of bloating does not include abdominal distention - it is limited to a feeling or sensation of fullness. We cannot claim to decrease the measurable size of a patient’s abdomen. 

• Must be empathetic, validating, and de-stigmatize the symptoms of IBS-C
• Must encourage individuals suffering from the symptoms of IBS-C to self-identify with the symptoms listed and seek out more information
• Final messaging must drive visits to an unbranded web site where viewers can learn more
• Must clearly and authentically convey that the symptoms of IBS-C are legitimate and make sufferers believe that they are worthy of an Rx
• Encourage sufferers to speak to their healthcare professional and seek proactive treatment
• Must NOT poke fun at the symptoms or sufferers, rely on “poop jokes,” or otherwise add to the stigma and lack of seriousness about these conditions

Tell us your Concept in 250 characters or less. Remember, a Concept is not a detailed script; it is a spark of inspiration, or a distillation of what will happen in the Video.  As always, Concepts should be clever and engaging. Five winning Concept creators will receive $250 each.

1. Unless provided otherwise, all work must be your own original creation and free of any copyrighted material. You shall provide detailed information of your work regarding the source, the creator and background information as requested by Tongal.

2. Confidentiality: Specifications, data, documentation, or other technical or business information (“Information”) furnished or disclosed to you shall be deemed the property of Allergan (“Company”). You shall keep all non-public information contained in this brief in confidence and will not, without Allergan’s prior written consent, disclose said information to any person or entity, except your officers, employees, agents and representatives who directly require said information for purposes of submitting concepts.  

3. Publicity: No references to Allergan, any party affiliated with Allergan, or their code names, drawings, specifications or the subject of this proposal shall be used in any of your advertising, promotional efforts or any publicity of any kind without the prior written permission of the Allergan Contact.

4. BY SUBMITTING AN ENTRY, YOUR SUBMISSION IMMEDIATELY BECOMES THE SOLE PROPERTY OF TONGAL OR ITS ASSIGNEES – SEE OFFICIAL RULES FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT OWNERSHIP OF ENTRIES. YOU MAY NOT PUBLICLY SHARE OR PUBLISH YOUR SUBMISSION IN ANY MANNER AND YOU MAY NOT POST OR UPLOAD YOUR SUBMISSION TO ANY WEBSITE OR VIDEO HOSTING SITE (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, FACEBOOK, YOUTUBE OR VIMEO), WITHOUT THE PRIOR EXPRESS WRITTEN CONSENT OF TONGAL. FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THIS REQUIREMENT MAY RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION OF YOUR ENTRY IN THE PROJECT.

5. Submissions cannot contain any profanity, offensive language, nudity or otherwise objectionable material, the determination of which is solely at the discretion of Sponsor.

6. Submissions must not portray Sponsor in a negative way, the determination of which will solely reside with Sponsor.

7. By submitting to this project, you acknowledge that your work may become subject to public voting on the Tongal site. Public voting may be used to help the project sponsor determine the final rank order.

8. Limit 5 submissions per member.

9. You must be at least thirteen (13) years or old. 

10. The Sponsor reserves the right to repost the contest at their discretion.

11. Winners must submit the standard Tongal W-9, Winner Affidavit, and IP Assignment.

12. See OFFICIAL RULES for additional contest information, terms and conditions. If there is any conflict or inconsistency between these requirements and the Official Rules, the terms and conditions of these requirements shall prevail.