On Mr. Mucus and Digger the Dermatophyte

Slimy sales agents

Excerpt:

He's a funny-looking guy, sloppy and green, decked out in a jaunty hat and suspenders. A little like Shrek on a bad day. He fronts a band of similarly weird backup dudes and dances around as if he were opening for Sinatra at the Sands.

This is no kiddie cartoon character. He is a walking, talking glob of computer-animated phlegm. His name is Mr. Mucus, and he sells Mucinex decongestant. Frequently during the TV evening news broadcasts.

He's not the only one. Afrin nasal spray offers unnamed blobs of green goo, shown closing up bank vault-style doors in a sufferer's nasal passages. Let's not forget Digger the Dermatophyte, a creepy bit of toenail fungus hawking Lamisil tablets.

Cute animated characters representing some of the most disgusting bodily afflictions you can imagine.

All during what for many people is the dinner hour.

What is going on here?

"It was immediately clear that by giving mucus a character and showing exactly where mucus is causing the problem in a humorous way, it served as a great visual," said M'lou Arnett, senior vice president of marketing at Adams Respiratory Therapeutics, makers of Mucinex and the creator of Mr. Mucus.

"There's an art to making sure that we do that in a tasteful way . . . characters like Mr. Mucus and Mrs. Mucus, and Junior Mucus," added Arnett, who said the company spent months developing the characters, testing the concept with focus groups to ensure it was entertaining. "We think they publicize the product in a lighthearted way."

Comment: Effective advertising. Using the Walgreens version of Mucinex (AKA Guaifenesin) this week.