Fisherman’s Friend has always occupied a strange place. It was first developed in 1865 by a chemist, James Lofthouse, for fishermen working in the extreme conditions of the Icelandic deep-sea fishing and it still has a strong therapeutic association. Now it comes in 15 different flavours in 100 countries around the globe. 96% of the total production of around 5 billion lozenges are exported every year. Germany is the largest market. Thailand comes second. In the US, the sugar-free versions can only be sold in chemists, due to their high share of menthol. They are considered pharmaceuticals and subject top FDA regulations.

In Canada, Fisherman Friends is working to expand its reach with a campaign by agency, Arrivals + Departures, and the weird and wonderful thinking of directors, The Perlorians’ absurdist humour and visually striking style – and a quirky hotel scenario that features a bellhop, a singer, a set of twins and a fisherman who pops up in bizarre places to offer soothing relief for a variety of throat ailments, from sore throats and raspy voices to persistent coughs.

The full campaign is running nationally in Canada across connected TV, YouTube, Amazon Prime, and other digital channels supported by bold OOH activations.

Arrivals + Departures led the brand positioning, creative strategy, and campaign development and execution of the campaign as well as paid social media planning and execution. Conversation Agency is managing PR and brand partnerships. EssenceMediacom is handling media.

Credits:

Client: Fisherman’s Friend 

Directors: The Perlorians
Production House: Merchant
Executive Producer: Ian Webb
Producer: Andrew Sulliman
Director of Photography: Daniel Grant
Production Design: Sue Tebbutt
Wardrobe: Tania Martins
Editor: Paul Skinner
Colourist: Eric Whipp
VFX Artist: Jonathan Wendt

Agency: Arrivals & Departures
CCO: Jeff MacEachern
Senior Art Director: Jordan Escobar
Senior Copywriter: Oliver Chiang