Brand Led
In the brand-led categories, two health campaigns emerged as winners for 2020.
Best Equality & Inclusion Cause Campaign
Winner: 'Unilad: the illegal blood bank' by LADbible Group and Elvis
This brave campaign sought to raise awareness of the fact sexually active gay and bisexual men are banned from donating blood. The answer was the 'illegal blood bank' – a real blood bank that ran for one day in a secret London location. It acted as a proof-of-concept for the proposed new ‘individualised risk assessment’ questionnaire that screens all donors equally.
Best Health Cause Campaign
Winner: 'Britain Get Talking' by Uncommon for ITV
In the UK, children have suffered a 52 per cent rise in anxiety and depression since 2004 (source: NHS), encouraging positive action around mental wellness is key, and as Britain’s biggest, most-watched commercial TV network, reaching more than 45 million people every quarter, broadcasting some of the UK’s best-loved family programmes, ITV felt it had a role to play. In 2019 it set a goal: get 10 million people to take steps look after their mental or physical health in the five years from 2019 to 2023.
Collaboration
Once more, there were two healthcare winners in these categories.
Best Health Cause Campaign
Winner: 'Eat Them to Defeat Them' by ITV
ITV joined forces with the Food Foundation’s campaign group Veg Power to encourage children in Britain to eat more vegetables.
Research found children think vegetables are boring, and messages that they're 'good for you' don't resonate. The campaign took the radical step of positioning vegetables as 'villains', not 'heroes', via a campaign film.
A true collaboration, the campaign included 11 major supermarkets, Birds Eye, four media titles, eight media owners contributing an additional £3.4m in free media, more than 100 influencers and 11 city and town councils.
The film debuted during the UK’s first ever veg-only ad break, during Coronation Street.
Best Equality & Inclusion Cause Campaign
Winner: 'Unilad: the illegal blood bank' by LADbible Group and Elvis
This brave campaign sought to raise awareness of the fact sexually active gay and bisexual men are banned from donating blood. The answer was the 'illegal blood bank' – a real blood bank that ran for one day in a secret London location. It acted as a proof-of-concept for the proposed new ‘individualised risk assessment’ questionnaire that screens all donors equally.
Charity or NGO
Two more healthcare winners emerged from this category.
Best Equality & Inclusion Cause Campaign
Winner: 'Embracing Complexity' by JPA Health for Autistica
This campaign aimed to highlight experiences of people with multiple neurodevelopmental conditions (NDCs) - in particular, raising awareness among policy makers that many have more than one NDC.
A coalition of 16 charities, led by Autistica, surveyed their members to compile The Embracing Complexity Report, which included a call to action for joined up services.
The Report launched in Parliament in May 2019 with Health Secretary Matt Hancock mentioning his experience of dyslexia.
Best Health Cause Campaign
Winner: '#PainNoFilter, Versus Arthritis' by Headland Consultancy for Versus Arthritis
This campaign aimed to raise awareness of the reality of arthritis, including debunking misconceptions it's ‘just a bit of pain’ and ‘an old person’s disease’, while galvanising support among young people with the condition.
A third of sufferers avoid social media, research found, amid its preoccupation with ‘perfection’. People with arthritis – of all ages – were asked to post one image on Instagram depicting the reality of living with it, to coincide with World Arthritis Day.
A dedicated #PainNoFilter hub was created on the charity’s website and a direct marketing email was sent to supporters.
Public sector
There was just one healthcare winner in this category.
Best Health Cause Campaign
The KMSZ needed more 18- to 30-year-olds to donate DNA samples. The answer was the "Life Lolli" – a heart-shaped lollipop that provides a tasty way to collect DNA, and an opportunity for the selfie-generation to share their good deed. Posting a photo of the lollipop on their tongue became a social challenge.
A 150-strong team of influencers were recruited among the first DNA donors using the Life Lolli.
On 15 February – International Children’s Cancer Day 2019 – the influencers went live with their own Life Lolli selfies, encouraging followers to follow, using #lifelolli.
Specialist
Two healthcare campaigns won in the specialist categories.
Best use of Celebrity and/or Influencers
Winner: 'Every Mind Matters' by Freuds for Public Health England & NHS England
This campaign sought to publicise a new evidence-based online mental health tool from Public Health England and NHS England.
It was based on the understanding that before people use an online resource, they need social opportunity (a socially sanctioned chance to self-identify) and increased psychological capability (the belief that 'I can do this').
The campaign focused on varied, high-profile figures talking about their mental health and how they manage it. These included The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and The Duke and Duchess of Sussex. By acknowledging those in the public eye admit mental health problems, the campaign gave the public confidence to do the same.
Best Use of Creativity
This campaign to encourage more cervical screenings focused on the disparity that as screening numbers decline, more women are having intimate waxing.
The message was delivered through trusted advocates – beauty therapists, working with Treatwell, Europe’s largest beauty booking platform. Research had found 74 per cent of women would listen to advice given by a beauty therapist.
Campaign of the Year
PRWeek’s 2020 Purpose Awards campaign of the year was healthcare-focused.
To encourage more 18- to 30-year-olds to find out their suitability to become a bone marrow or stem cell donor, the Life Lolli – a heart-shaped lollipop with a swab as the stick, for collecting a DNA sample – was launched. Posting a photo of the lollipop on their tongue became a social-media challenge.
On International Childhood Cancer Day, 15 February, a 150-strong team of influencers posted their Life Lolli selfies, encouraging others to follow. Donation kit orders increased tenfold – monthly website visits topped 150,000. Partnerships with sports clubs, including Borussia Dortmund, boosted distribution.
By the end of April, donor registrations exceeded 15,000 (whole of 2018: 9,198). Average donor age fell from 37 to 26.
Click here to subscribe to the FREE pharma and healthcare comms bulletin to receive dedicated healthcare news, features and comment straight to your inbox.
Make sure you register for the site to access more than one story per month.
To submit a news, comment, case study or analysis idea for the pharma and healthcare comms bulletin, email Ian.Griggs@haymarket.com
