HeadOn

HeadOn is the brand name of a topical product claimed to relieve headaches. It achieved widespread notoriety in 2006 as a result of a repetitive commercial, consisting only of the tagline 'HeadOn. Apply directly to the forehead', stated three times in succession. Originally sold as a homeopathic preparation, the brand was transferred in 2008 to Sirvision, Inc., who re-introduced the product with a new formulation. HeadOn is the brand name of a topical product claimed to relieve headaches. It achieved widespread notoriety in 2006 as a result of a repetitive commercial, consisting only of the tagline 'HeadOn. Apply directly to the forehead', stated three times in succession. Originally sold as a homeopathic preparation, the brand was transferred in 2008 to Sirvision, Inc., who re-introduced the product with a new formulation. HeadOn's notoriety came in part because of its advertisements on cable and daytime programming on broadcast television which consisted of using only the tagline 'HeadOn. Apply directly to the forehead', stated three times in succession, accompanied by a video of a model using the product without ever directly stating the product's purpose. Manufacturer Miralus Healthcare decided not to include any factual claims about the product in the spots after the National Advertising Division of the Better Business Bureau objected to the claim that HeadOn provided 'fast, safe, effective' headache relief made in an earlier spot. A previous campaign included the phrase 'Should I know about HeadOn?' Miralus Healthcare used focus groups to try a number of potential commercials, with one focused solely on repetition; the focus groups recalled the ads much more than with any other method, although many people considered them irritating. Dan Charron, vice president of sales and marketing at Miralus, told the Los Angeles Times that nobody in the focus groups had told him that the ads were irritating. The commercial led to a number of parodies appearing on Web sites such as YouTube, USA Today reports, including extended versions of the ad which loop the repetitive tagline for durations upwards of ten hours, eventually making it an internet meme. The technophile magazine Make describes how to turn it into a ringtone. The commercial is parodied in the 2008 spoof film, Disaster Movie. On September 26, 2008, ownership of the HeadOn brand and its manufacture were transferred to Sirvision, Inc. of North America. Sirvision re-introduced HeadOn with a new formulation, claiming it now contains 'a clinically proven active ingredient for topical headache relief.' There were no peer-reviewed studies showing that the original HeadOn formula worked, and the scientific consensus is that homeopathic preparations do not help beyond the placebo effect. The new formulation has not yet been investigated. Sirvision Inc, which bought the product line, have stated that they intend to refocus the infamous advertisements in a 'more scientific direction'.