”Heart Attack” Super Bowl Ad Kicks Off King Pharmaceuticals’ Sponsorship of American Heart Association’s High Blood Pressure Web Site

New Super Bowl “Player” King Pharmaceuticals uses engaging and entertaining ad treatment with element of surprise to tackle major health issue;

Viewers called on to self-assess risk of heart attack and stroke on AHA Web site

BRISTOL, Tenn. & DALLAS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–King Pharmaceuticals^®, Inc. (NYSE:KG) is launching a three-year sponsorship of the American Heart Association high blood pressure Web site via a nationally broadcast commercial airing during Super Bowl XLI. The ad aims to increase public awareness of high blood pressure and other risk factors and the impact it has on a person’s overall risk of serious cardiovascular disease by steering viewers to the American Heart Association’s online high blood pressure risk assessment tool.

“Is your heart at risk of an attack?”

Debuting a commercial during the most watched television event in the country is a first for King Pharmaceuticals, and the first time the American Heart Association has been included in a Super Bowl commercial. The 60-second unbranded spot will air during the second quarter, shortly before halftime. A 30-second version of the ad will also air during the post-game show. The full campaign includes a print advertising and online media component as well.

The creative concept for the ad was developed by King Pharmaceuticals, with the American Heart Association providing feedback and input on overall messaging and the interaction of risk factors. Titled “Heart Attack,” the spot uses an entertaining and engaging treatment that emphasizes the element of surprise to communicate the risks of uncontrolled high blood pressure, also called hypertension – a condition that causes or contributes to more than a quarter of a million deaths in the U.S. each year.

“We are extremely pleased to have found in King Pharmaceuticals a partner so committed to raising public awareness about the risks high blood pressure poses and its relationship to cardiovascular disease,” said Dr. Daniel Jones, President Elect of the American Heart Association and a member of the association’s High Blood Pressure Research Council. “Historically, it has been difficult to convince people of the seriousness of high blood pressure because they usually don’t experience specific symptoms. In launching their sponsorship of our high blood pressure Web site with a Super Bowl commercial, King is providing a catalyst for the millions of people who don’t realize they have high blood pressure or don’t think they need to address it. The goal is to prompt them to take action to reduce their overall risk for serious cardiovascular disease, heart attack and stroke.”

With the suspense and drama of a Hollywood action movie, “Heart Attack” features a Heart Man going about his everyday business when he is ambushed by high blood pressure and his accomplices – high cholesterol, overweight and diabetes. When the villainous risk factors are done with “Heart Man,” he is left with a clear understanding of the threat they pose, while the audience is asked, “Is your heart at risk of an attack?” Viewers are then called to action to find out what their personal risk of a heart attack or stroke is by going online to www.BeatYourRisk.com (a web site to be launched on February 4^th) and taking a short online quiz. The hope is that they will then discuss their risk profile with their doctor and take appropriate action to reduce their risks.

“With nearly a third of the 72 million adults who have high blood pressure unaware of the serious cardiovascular risks the condition poses if left untreated, we felt the scope of the problem demanded a stage with the Super Bowl’s broad demographic reach,” said Steve Andrzejewski, King Pharmaceuticals’ Chief Commercial Officer. “At the same time, we knew we had to break through the clutter to motivate the audience to take the American Heart Association’s online risk assessment quiz. We’re confident the creative concept of the ad will make it a very effective means of spreading our message to the millions of people with uncontrolled high blood pressure as well as to the people who influence their health decisions.”

The three-year sponsorship will involve a variety of joint national and local initiatives designed to send people to the sponsored high blood pressure area of www.americanheart.org to increase their awareness of the impact that high blood pressure and other risk factors have on their overall risk of serious cardiovascular disease, heart attack and stroke. These initiatives will encourage people to take action to reduce those risks by speaking with their doctors about their risk profile.

The ad is also a Super Bowl first for advertising agency Glow Worm, a part of Publicis Healthcare Groupe, while Publicis Groupe’s Optimedia handled the broadcast media buy.

About American Heart Association

Founded in 1924, the American Heart Association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary health organization dedicated to reducing disability and death from heart disease and stroke, America’s No. 1 and No. 3 killers. The association invested more than $543 million in fiscal year 2005-2006 for research, professional and public education, advocacy and community service programs to help Americans live longer and healthier lives. To learn more, call 1-800-AHA-USA1 (1-800-242-8721) or visit www.americanheart.org.

About King Pharmaceuticals

King, headquartered in Bristol, Tennessee, is a vertically integrated branded pharmaceutical company. King, an S&P 500 Index company, seeks to capitalize on opportunities in the pharmaceutical industry through the development, including through in-licensing arrangements and acquisitions, of novel branded prescription pharmaceutical products in attractive markets and the strategic acquisition of branded products that can benefit from focused promotion and marketing and product life-cycle management.

via businesswire.com