Gritty Realism: This Claritin Commercial Shows A Man Relieving His Allergy Symptoms So He Can Get Back To A Normal Level Of Misery At His Dead-End Job Without Also Sneezing

The advertising game has officially been changed forever, thanks to a groundbreaking and artistically ambitious ad that’s raised the bar for the kinds of story a commercial can tell: This Claritin commercial shows a man relieving his allergy symptoms so he can get back to a normal level of misery at his dead-end job without also sneezing.

Hell yes. This level of gritty realism is guaranteed to make this commercial an instant classic.

The new ad features a man sitting in front of a laptop in a cubicle that is decorated with nothing but an Iron Man Funko Pop and a framed photo of himself meeting retired Major Leaguer Lenny Dykstra at a casino. He’s drafting an email to “accounting@skybannermedia.com” with the subject line “July Invoices.” As he types, he keeps sneezing and sniffling. Then the man reaches into his desk drawer and takes out a box of Claritin. The next 45 seconds are dedicated to the man trying to peel back the foil on the tablet package before he eventually loses patience and just uses a pair of scissors to cut it. Once he takes the Claritin, he continues to type and sneeze. The commercial then cuts to two hours later. The man is now writing an email to “wendy.reynolds@skybannermedia.com” with the subject line “Meal Reimbursement Requests Missing Receipts,” but he is no longer sneezing, and his desk has been cleared of the dozens of tissues that were sitting there before.

As the man continues to type, text appears on the screen that says, “Your Life Is Already Miserable. Allergies Shouldn’t Make It Worse.” The Claritin logo then appears on the screen, and the commercial fades to black.

No matter who you are or where you live, you have to admit that this is amazing. This commercial perfectly captures what it’s really like to take Claritin, without any of the bullshit that’s all too common in modern advertising. It’s so cool that there are people out there willing to push the art of advertising to its limit. Here’s hoping this commercial is just the first in a very long and uncompromising campaign!