Bayer is spending a lot of money on radio ads promoting Bayer AM, but they don't come right out and say what it's really for. Gotta look at the web site for that.

I heard a radio spot for Bayer AM while driving home tonight.  The ad promoted this new version of venerable old Bayer aspirin as a product that is "specially formulated for morning pain, to help you get a jump on your day." OK, think about that.  It helps morning pain and gets you going.  Hmmm... I wonder what they put in it that makes it different from plain old Bayer.  I have a sneaking suspicion I know what's in it besides aspirin. From the product website:

New Bayer AM works to relieve the tough pain in the morning that can ruin your whole day. It contains the proven pain relief of Bayer Aspirin for all kinds of pain, from a headache to a backache and an alertness aid that can help you feel awake and ready to start your day. Take back your morning with Bayer AM!

Figure it out yet?  They tossed in an "alertness aid." More from the website...

Active ingredients (in each tablet):

Aspirin 500 mg (NSAID)*. Pain reliever Caffeine 65 mg. Alertness aid *nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug

Got it.  So two of these miracle pills have almost the same amount of aspirin as three regular aspirin tablets, plus they have about half (yes, half!) the caffeine you'd get out of a "Tall" (12oz) from Starbucks.  That's your alertness aid... the equivalent of 6oz of decent coffee. I looked at prices (slow night tonight) and Bayer AM costs about 4 times per dose what regular generic Walgreen's aspirin costs (28 versus 7 cents).  But, hey, every dose of Bayer AM gives you the same lift as 6oz of Starbucks.  I don't know about you, but I need at least a 24oz Venti to get me moving. Is this filling a need for consumers?  Perhaps it is, in as much as it does save you the trouble of making coffee.  It solves "morning pain"and gets you going.  Reading further into the website, I found they went ahead and offered up a practical use that I also considered:

Uses

• for the temporary relief of minor aches and pains associated with a hangover
• helps restore mental alertness or wakefulness when experiencing fatigue or drowsiness associated with a hangover
• also effective for headaches, body aches and pains alone

OK, now we're talking.  It's a hangover remedy!  If I were the Bayer AM product manager, I'd not be hiding this under a bushel basket.  I'd make "hangover remedy" the headline.  I'd work it into the radio script at least three times.  I mean, c'mon... this is why you are mixing plain old aspirin with caffeine... for people too hung over to make a pot of coffee themselves. 

Great product idea; poor marketing execution.

Comments

[Michael Braun]

Interesting product. It has the same amount of caffeine as other pain killers, like Excedrine Migraine. But Excedrine Migraine seems so limited in utility compared to Bayer AM! I mean, it's right there in the name.

[Dave Wilcox]

Excedrine Migraine isn;t much different from what Excedrine has always been... aspirin and caffeine. The migraine version just adds is some acetaminophen (aka Tylenol).

Best advice: buy the generics and concoct your own blend of tablets depending on circumstance. (Yeah, my partner -- a doctor -- will again disclaim any responsibility for my blather and accuse me of practicing medicine without a license.)