Proud Kybella users bare their fat-free chins in Allergan's new DTC ad push

Allergan knows people inherit lots of traits from their families--and they don't love all of them. That’s the theme of two brand-new DTC ads for chin-fat-fighter Kybella.

In one of the ads, dubbed “Inheritance,” a woman shows off photos of her relatives, who range from Elizabethan ancestor Lady Beatrice to gold-rush era great-grandfather Horatio. The one thing they all have in common? Neck coverings that obscure double chins they’re embarrassed to reveal.

“I inherited their can-do spirit and their double chin,” the woman explains, determined that “now, I’m going to do something about it.” The spot ends with her triumphantly hanging a bare-necked photo on the wall, post-Kybella treatment.

Allergan’s execs have been talking up Kybella since last summer, when the company inked a $2.1 billion agreement to pick up its developer, Kythera. Recently, on the Dublin drugmaker’s Q2 conference call, Allergan went as far as to say its peak sales could one day rival those of blockbuster Botox.

If Kybella is going to hit Botox heights, though, it’ll have to penetrate the male market, and that’s a prospect Allergan’s excited about. Its other new DTC ad--“Ancestors”--features the same format as “Inheritance,” but with a male narrator.

Going forward, the company has high expectations for its new marketing push, whose activities have included a partnership with Khloé Kardashian. As commercial chief Bill Meury figures, investors can expect “a significant step up” in quarterly Kybella sales in the second half of this year.

“It's a great expansion of our injectable product line,” he said on the call.

Longer term, Allergan is hoping Kybella can prove useful in more fat-fighting uses. Earlier this month, the company said it would study the injection as a remedy for bra-line fat.

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