LOS ANGELES: When viewers tuned in to the Grammy Awards on Sunday night on CBS, they saw celebrities wearing chic outfits — and during the commercials, a pharmaceutical company’s spot featuring a guy with a dad bod in a short red swimsuit.
The advertisement was for Bristol Myers Squibb’s new drug Sotyktu, which treats plaque psoriasis.
The dad appears confident during the 60-second advertisement even though he has psoriasis, a skin disease, and is wearing an outfit that embarrasses his daughter. But that doesn’t stop the whole family from enjoying themselves by a pool later in the spot.
The team behind the campaign learned from psoriasis patients that they are often self-conscious about their skin, said Michael Braun, SVP of immunology and fibrosis at Bristol Myers Squibb, which received Food and Drug Administration approval for the drug in September.
For the advertisement, the idea was to show a “celebration of having success with being confident in your own skin,” said Braun. “It tells a real story that will connect with our audience, which is the patients who are suffering from psoriasis.”
The pharmaceutical company collaborated on the campaign with Humancare, a healthcare communications agency launched by Interpublic Group last year. Real Chemistry worked on media relations for the campaign.
The spot also shows a woman happy with her clear skin, and she picks out a sleeveless shirt before taking the stage. Similarly, the Grammys are also an event where attendees show their skin.
“It ties very nicely with this idea of promoting body positivity,” Braun said. “We believe that this is a great place for us to reach our audience.”