HALLS retains 50% of the category sales and has become synonymous with cough drop in the US. Its strength, however, came from its functional attributes: its efficacy, reliability and speed of action. There needed to be a more emotional bond to ensure continued leadership. It was time for some fresh thinking. It was time to look at the less obvious, yet more powerful aspects of the product to create a stronger, more emotional connection between the brand and its audience. We ended up having an idea that that moved the brand beyond the cough cold category.

It was in the product experience that we discovered the most powerful territory for the new idea: there's simply nothing like the strong menthol hit of HALLS. It is so strong that is molds the character of the brand and it has inevitable effect on people: it’s not a pat on the back; it's a kick in the backside. A push for them to go ahead with whatever they need to do. This all came together through the campaign “A Pep Talk in Every Drop.”

After a four-year long share decline things began to turn around. Brand tracking achieved the best results ever, with awareness and past 30-day usage at all-time highs. People associated the brand as "good for using anytime" and "giving them motivation to get stuff done" and sales increased even in the period after the cough and cold season. It was the most successful HALLS campaign in the history of the brand.

I started working on the HALLS business from the beginning of their quest for a new direction. I helped explore every facet of their business from the key stakeholders and the consumers to their competitors in and outside of their category. While I was not on the account to see the final creative produced I played an integral part in getting the final brand strategy sold through.