MISSISSAUGA, ON: The maker of an arthritis treatment wants people to know that showing appreciation for caregivers can improve their wellbeing.
Voltaren, an arthritis pain-relief gel brand, has launched a campaign, Acts of Care, based on the idea that when caregivers hear from a loved one, it increases their overall wellbeing.
The brand measured this with an Emotiv EEG headset, according to Rishi Mulgund, brand director of pain relief at Haleon, which owns Voltaren.
“Voltaren is a leader in movement and providing better movement, [and] we stood behind caregivers because we saw caregivers not prioritizing their own physical health, and movement is extremely critical for [them],” Mulgund said. “It made a ton of sense for a leader in movement and pain relief to support these unpaid caregivers.”
To conduct the campaign, which launched on May 16, the brand worked with Weber Shandwick to find caregivers. One example was Carol, who helped her sister, Tamsey, after she was diagnosed with breast cancer and fibromyalgia.
A video showed Carol with the EEG headset as she told an interviewer, Emotiv scientist Nikolas Williams, about running errands and cooking and cleaning for her sister, who is in tremendous pain.
Carol also has health issues.
“Having arthritis, my knee swells up a lot [as does] my elbow, and some days I’m unable to move,” Carol says in the commercial. Tamsey enters the room and describes how much her sister helps her, saying, “I wouldn’t make it without you, sister.”
The women share how much they care for each other as they become emotional and hug.
The ad also states that brain mapping shows a 36% increase in wellbeing in caregivers after they hear from a loved one about their value, according to the brand.
Another video features a couple, Bill and Susan, who have been married for 43 years. Bill takes care of his wife, who has hip pain because of cartilage dissipation, even though he also suffers from osteoarthritis. The two have a similar heartfelt conversation, and brain mapping also shows an increase in Bill’s wellbeing.
“We just looked for these very, very unique stories that aren't told enough, that people want to hear more about,” Mulgund said.
This is the second year that Voltaren has conducted the campaign. Last year, the brand featured Jennie Garth, an actress who has osteoarthritis and was a caregiver for her father before he died.
The brand is promoting the campaign on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. The campaign website also has advice for caregivers.
Weber Shandwick was the creative agency for the campaign, and Publicis Leon developed and implemented the paid media strategy for online video and on social media.