Advertising best practice, evidence and insights

What’s working in DTC and prescription products

Article • WARC Exclusive, May 2018

Global strategies, campaign updates and trends in the DTC and prescription products category.

Using technology to drive behavioural change in healthcare

Article • D'Arcy King, WARC Best Practice, February 2018

Looks at how new technologies are affecting the healthcare profession and suggests ways that health data can be used to change consumer behaviour.

How Abbott Laboratories saved time with its ‘marketing insights hub’

Article • Low Lai Chow, Event Reports, MRMW APAC, June 2018

Abbott Laboratories, the global healthcare company, created an internal hub of best practice and knowledge sharing to boost its marketing efficiency.

Medcare Women & Children Hospital: Footnote for the breast

Case Study • Leslie Paul, WARC Prize for MENA Strategy, Shortlisted, 2018

Medcare Women & Children Hospital, a leading healthcare provider in the UAE, used a hands-on creative campaign to raise awareness of the necessity for breast checks among local and Arab women.

Meet the AI doctors: the health industry explores a conversational future

Article • Sam Peña-Taylor, Event Reports, healthBOT 2018, May 2018

Chatbots constitute an unparalleled opportunity across the breadth of the health industry, and both for the benefit of consumers and for communications with professionals.

Vicks: Touch of Care

Case Study • Cannes Creative Lions, Entrant, Creative Effectiveness Lions, 2018

Vicks, a cough and cold medicine, increased sales and brand affinity by launching a campaign that featured a transgender mother as a way to portray new types of families in India that use Vicks to care for their loved ones.

Verena Sure Capture

Case Study • Cannes Creative Lions, Entrant, Creative Effectiveness Lions, 2018

Verena Sure, a dieting product, quickly increased sales by launching a humorous campaign film alongside a PR activation event with Thailand's leading bloggers.

Aster DM Healthcare: The Nazar Initiative

Case Study • Cannes Creative Lions, Entrant, Creative Effectiveness Lions, 2018

Aster DM Care, a healthcare provider, increased the number of eye check-up visitors in Dubai and India by launching an eyesight test that used visual cues rather than letters.

Cochlear: The Hearing Test in Disguise

Case Study • Cannes Creative Lions, Entrant, Creative Effectiveness Lions, 2018

Cochlear, a hearing implant brand, created a hearing test in disguise in Australia by launching a film with two possible outcomes depending on the viewer's hearing ability.

Savlon: Healthy Hands Chalk Sticks

Case Study • Cannes Creative Lions, Grand Prix, Creative Effectiveness Lions, 2018

Savlon, a hygiene brand, affected change in the behaviour of Indian primary school children by introducing and promoting an innovative product in a fun and memorable way.

GSK Consumer Healthcare: The Debate Headache

Case Study • Cannes Creative Lions, Entrant, Creative Effectiveness Lions, 2018

Excedrin, an OTC headache medicine, used the headache of the 2016 US general election to get involved in the cultural conversation on social media, in order to increase brand sales in the US.

Cigna: TV Doctors of America

Case Study • Cannes Creative Lions, Entrant, Creative Effectiveness Lions, 2018

Cigna, a health insurance brand, used famous TV series doctors to encourage US consumers to sign up for preventative care consultations.

GSK's digital transformation formula

News • 21 June 2018

CANNES: GSK Consumer Healthcare, the pharmaceutical company, has embraced the challenge of digital transformation by implementing a wide range of strategies that reflect the changing marketplace.

GSK’s formula for digital transformation

Article • Stephen Whiteside, Event Reports, Cannes Lions, June 2018

GSK Consumer Healthcare, the pharmaceutical company, has been undergoing a profound digital transformation as it adapts to new consumer and marketplace demands.

Bayer Aspirin: The Herosmiths - The rise of common heroes

Case Study • Marketing Society UK, Excellence Awards, Highly Commended, 2018

Bayer, a pharmaceutical brand, made its product relevant to a new audience in the US by focusing on its life-saving capabilities.

Trust Condoms: #KuwaTrue podcast campaign

Case Study • Marion Wanyoike, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Content Strategy, 2018

Trust, a condom brand, used podcasts and social media to connect with young people and increase sales in Kenya.

LifeStyles & Blowtex: Smart = Sexy – Reframing sexiness in a digital-embedded way

Case Study • Matthias Eylers, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Content Strategy, 2018

Manufacturer of protection products Ansell used thumb-first thinking to drive sales and build a brand tonality between its two condom brands in Brazil and the US.

How Johnson & Johnson’s purpose looks beyond the balance sheet

Article • Stephen Whiteside, Event Reports, Techonomy, May 2018

Johnson & Johnson, the healthcare company, is tapping into the power of social purpose to help solve major problems around the world.

ActivKids Immuno Boosters: #YesMom – A social movement towards new-age parenting

Case Study • Ankur Tarafde, Priya Jaggi, Prarthana Parija, WARC Awards, Entrant, Effective Social Strategy, 2018

ActivKids Immuno Boosters, a nutrition supplement, used content and social media to build a parenting community and increase sales in India.

Cannabis branding needs work

News • 30 May 2018

NEW YORK: With Canada in the process of legalizing recreational cannabis use and the medical cannabis market in the US projected to be worth almost $20bn by 2024, the growing number of brands in this category need to consider their marketing ...

Prega News: #YourSecondHome

Case Study • AME Awards, Silver, 2018

Prega News, a pregnancy testing kit brand, launched an online video campaign in India to start a social conversation about the difficulties that pregnant employees face at work.

AbbVie: Pick the pencil - Rheumatoid Arthritis awareness campaign

Case Study • SABRE Awards, Gold Sabre Award For Digital Campaign, EMEA, 2018

AbbVie, a biopharmaceutical company, launched Pick The Pencil, a multichannel campaign in Greece to increase public awareness of Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Pharma brands fall short with older consumers

News • 23 May 2018

BOSTON: Pharmaceutical brands are typically failing to engage the valuable audience of consumers over 50 years old, according to research by AARP, an interest group focused on this demographic.

IPRAS WomenforWomen: The Truth Unveiled

Case Study • AME Awards, Gold, 2018

IPRAS WomenforWomen, an initiative that helps acid-attack victims with plastic surgery, increased awareness of domestic abuse in India by revealing the face of an acid attack victim for the first time ever on national TV.

Med-El: Cutting through the silence on World Hearing Day

Case Study • SABRE Awards, Gold Sabre Award For Medical Technology, EMEA, 2018

Med-El, a cochlear implant company, launched Cutting Through the Silence, a global campaign to raise awareness of the impact of hearing loss and the benefits of treatment on World Hearing Day 2017.

Pharma & healthcare