Bladders, guts and feet: The psychology
`behind anthropomorphic body parts
`by Paul Hiebert
`March 17, 2016
`
`Be the first to comment
`
`Is it easier to face our grosser anatomical features when they have a life
`of their own?
`
`If you watch TV, there’s a good chance you’ve recently seen human-like body
`parts smiling and waving back at you. A commercial for the drug Myrbetriq, for
`example, features a blue-eyed bladder with arms and legs who constantly
`nags a woman to drop what she’s doing and visit the restroom.
`
`During the Super Bowl, Xifaxan ran a spot starring a bundle of bowels known
`as "Gut Guy." His dilemma: How to watch the big game without diarrhea
`http://www.campaignlive.com/article/bladders-guts-feet-psychology-behind-anthropomorphic-bo...
`
`10/31/2017
`
`ACRUX DDS PTY LTD. et al.
`
`EXHIBIT 1617
`
`IPR Petition for
`
`U.S. Patent No. 7,214,506
`
`Page 1 of 9
`
`
`behind anthropomorphic body parts
`by Paul Hiebert
`March 17, 2016
`
`Be the first to comment
`
`Is it easier to face our grosser anatomical features when they have a life
`of their own?
`
`If you watch TV, there’s a good chance you’ve recently seen human-like body
`parts smiling and waving back at you. A commercial for the drug Myrbetriq, for
`example, features a blue-eyed bladder with arms and legs who constantly
`nags a woman to drop what she’s doing and visit the restroom.
`
`During the Super Bowl, Xifaxan ran a spot starring a bundle of bowels known
`as "Gut Guy." His dilemma: How to watch the big game without diarrhea
`http://www.campaignlive.com/article/bladders-guts-feet-psychology-behind-anthropomorphic-bo...
`
`10/31/2017
`
`ACRUX DDS PTY LTD. et al.
`
`EXHIBIT 1617
`
`IPR Petition for
`
`U.S. Patent No. 7,214,506
`
`Page 1 of 9
`
`
`
`Bladders, guts and feet: The psychology
`behind anthropomorphic body parts
`by Paul Hiebert
`March 17, 2016
`
`Be the first to comment
`
`Is it easier to face our grosser anatomical features when they have a life
`of their own?
`
`If you watch TV, there’s a good chance you’ve recently seen human-like body
`parts smiling and waving back at you. A commercial for the drug Myrbetriq, for
`example, features a blue-eyed bladder with arms and legs who constantly
`nags a woman to drop what she’s doing and visit the restroom.
`
`During the Super Bowl, Xifaxan ran a spot starring a bundle of bowels known
`as "Gut Guy." His dilemma: How to watch the big game without diarrhea
`http://www.campaignlive.com/article/bladders-guts-feet-psychology-behind-anthropomorphic-bo...
`
`10/31/2017
`
`Page 2 of 9
`
`
`
`instigating a shameful sprint to the toilet. A spot for the topical solution Jublia,
`which also aired during the Super Bowl, showcases NFL legends Deion
`Sanders, Howie Long and Phil Simms relaxing in a spa alongside a large
`fungus-infected foot named Big J, who sports a purple robe and presumably
`smells fresh despite his visible symptoms.
`
`Xifaxan Super Bowl 2016 TV Commercial, 'Football Game' - iSpot.tv
`
`
`
`The reaction to these anthropomorphic creations has been mixed, but loud.
`While some viewers consider them adorable, others seem repulsed. A sample
`tweet from the latter camp reads, "Can't decide which animated trade
`character is more disgusting: Myrbetriq's overactive bladder or Xifaxan's gassy
`mass of intestines. #yuck."
`
`Indeed, after the Super Bowl, Entertainment Weekly deemed Gut Guy the
`game’s unofficial mascot due to the sheer number of people on Twitter either
`praising or condemning his existence. The Wall Street Journal, however,
`reported that though Xifaxan’s and Jublia’s ads generated significant buzz for
`their respective ailments on social media, many of the nearly 112 million
`people who watched football’s main event last month didn’t particularly enjoy
`the ads addressing "not-so-pleasant bodily functions."
`
`If it turns out, then, that most folks don’t want to think about abdominal pain
`while watching human innards walk around in public, then what, exactly, is the
`wisdom behind creating such a character?
`
`http://www.campaignlive.com/article/bladders-guts-feet-psychology-behind-anthropomorphic-bo...
`
`10/31/2017
`
`Page 3 of 9
`
`
`
`Jublia Super Bowl 2016 TV Commercial, 'Best Kept Secret' Featuring Deion…
`
`
`
`On one hand, the benefits of cartoon mascots are well documented. Animated
`spokespeople, from Mr. Peanut to Tony the Tiger to the Kool-Aid Man, provide
`a brand with personality. They can embody a company’s ethos and lend a
`distinct voice across social media platforms. At the same time, they don’t get
`drunk in public or upload racist rants onto YouTube. They don’t demand higher
`wages, complain about long hours, or fret over compromising their artistic
`integrity.
`
`As humans, we have an innate tendency to see ourselves in decidedly non-
`human things, whether that be gods, cars or a nightcap-wearing moon within
`the pages of a children’s book, so it only makes sense to harness this quirk.
`
`On the other hand, the human body can be kind of gross, especially when
`dealing with illness and disease. So while a variety of brands have long used
`characters with human characteristics to help sell countless products and
`services, it’s not entirely clear if bladders and feet can enjoy the same level of
`success.
`
`http://www.campaignlive.com/article/bladders-guts-feet-psychology-behind-anthropomorphic-bo...
`
`10/31/2017
`
`Page 4 of 9
`
`
`
`Laughing
`
`According to Jay Bolling, they can. Bolling is the CEO of PulseCX, the
`healthcare marketing agency responsible for developing Myrbetriq’s bladder
`boy, who launched in early 2014. As Bolling puts it, the underlying idea behind
`the anthropomorphic character is literally to separate potential customers from
`their ailment, thereby diminishing their sense of shame or guilt.
`
`"An overactive bladder is a highly stigmatized condition, and it’s very
`embarrassing," said Bolling, noting that it’s often associated with getting older
`and is neglected by some physicians. Therefore, the act of turning the problem
`into something external with a life of its own can, in a sense, shift a viewer’s
`thoughts about herself. "Rather than her feeling like it was her problem or
`something she had done, it really isn’t her; it’s her bladder," said Bolling.
`
`http://www.campaignlive.com/article/bladders-guts-feet-psychology-behind-anthropomorphic-bo...
`
`10/31/2017
`
`Page 5 of 9
`
`
`
`Myrbetriq TV Commercial, 'Texting' - iSpot.tv
`
`
`
`Research conducted by Pankaj Aggarwal, a professor of marketing at the
`University of Toronto Scarborough, suggests that since people are social
`beings who long to form relationships, anthropomorphism is an efficient way to
`build rapport with whichever brands employ the tactic. In other words, the
`more human something seems, the more we feel we can relate.
`
`That said, Aggarwal doesn’t think this is the path the aforementioned
`pharmaceutical ads are on. They aren’t trying to conjure up feelings of
`sympathy for the sufferers of certain medical conditions or even portray the
`conditions themselves as evil monsters, as some campaigns do. "By
`anthropomorphizing a toenail as another person, I’m able to remove myself
`and feel as though I don’t have the toenail fungus, this other person has it,"
`said Aggarwal, essentially agreeing with Bolling. "I’m able to stand a couple
`steps away from the thing and take the negative away from myself."
`
`It should be noted, however, that this strategy only seems appropriate when
`addressing personal medical problems. While this might be appropriate for,
`say, Rapaflo’s enlarged prostate guy, it doesn’t quite make sense for Midas’s
`floating, golden hand guy, who knocks on doors to spread word of the "Midas
`Touch." A non-profit campaign tackling sexual consent with cartoon genitals
`might fall somewhere in-between. And another thing: Just because a non-
`human character has a personality doesn’t mean it’s a winning personality.
`Viewers have to like it and trust it.
`
`http://www.campaignlive.com/article/bladders-guts-feet-psychology-behind-anthropomorphic-bo...
`
`10/31/2017
`
`Page 6 of 9
`
`
`
`Just consider Geico’s esteemed talking gecko, pig and camel. "The success of
`a Geico character is not making them a shill for the brand, but making them
`seem as real and natural as possible as they interact with real people," said
`Steve Bassett, SVP and group creative director at the Martin Agency, which
`works with Geico.
`
`Overall, the somewhat cute yet squeamish characters in ads for Myrbetriq,
`Xifaxan and Jublia aren’t made for a general audience. They’re made to
`encourage specific individuals suffering from certain conditions to step out of
`the shadows and seek help.
`
`Perhaps the most famous example of this technique came in a popular 1960s
`ad created by celebrated illustrator R. O. Blechman. In the one-minute spot, a
`man and his stomach sit in chairs across from each other while arguing about
`the types of food the man should avoid eating to prevent irritating his already
`upset stomach. It’s an inner dialogue gone outer. The narrator eventually
`intervenes by proposing Alka-Seltzer as a solution to their dispute. The
`stomach sighs, then offers his interlocutor a peace agreement and nudge
`toward the product: "I’ll try if you will."
`
`vintage ads: Alka Seltzer - Stomach
`
`http://www.campaignlive.com/article/bladders-guts-feet-psychology-behind-anthropomorphic-bo...
`
`10/31/2017
`
`Page 7 of 9
`
`
`
`Tags
`
`Advertising
`
`Marketing
`
`Market Research
`
`http://www.campaignlive.com/article/bladders-guts-feet-psychology-behind-anthropomorphic-bo...
`
`10/31/2017
`
`Page 8 of 9
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`
`10/31/2017
`
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