Private View.pdf

Some items should never appear in concept, even in tissue phase: lightbulbs, road signs and puzzle pieces among them. While they telegraph an idea quickly, they can’t capture the imagination or crack the shell of cynicism with which most patients and physicians approach medical marketing. Even worse are the shiny, happy people. Or their cousins, the deeply concerned people who realize they really need to ask their doctor about [fill in disease state here]. So when we see human— surprising, honest or just re-envisioned—it reconfirms our faith in humanity. And our profession. These stories can be told without hitting our audiences over the head with puzzle pieces.

NORD (National Organization for Rare Diseases)
Agency: Area 23
Identity theft for a cause. The simplicity in shooting and casting not only underscores the need to contribute but also shows just how smart this idea really is.

Multiple Myeloma Pipeline
Agency: BGB Group
Oh, my fingers tingle here! The embryo of a great idea. Will we see more as this campaign develops over time? Fingers crossed.

Pradaxa
Agency: Republica
I’m so curious about where this all began. Did it start with a truth? Where, in the challenging process we’re all too familiar with, did they pick up the awkward syntax and creepy medical illustration? Who shoehorned in the caregiver concerns? Was there a creative team present when the decision was made to forgo a headline and bounce enough copy to give readers vertigo?

Panadol Joint
Agency: Grey Group, Singapore
Visually striking and a whole lot of meaning packed into a single image. The creators capture a monk striking a pose that becomes the Chinese character for “move”—the critical benefit of pain medication.

Tamiflu
Agency: BBDO & CDMi
Sure, we’ve seen big/little before. But this is spot-on strategy beautifully done, and the art director gets extra points for managing the safety data thoughtfully.

Levemir
Agency: Cult Health
Creativity sneaks up subtly. Levemir employs just a few words that completely play to human nature. When searching for “Invokana,” I’m urged to consider Levemir instead.

Here in healthcare, we have amazing content at our disposal, but it isn’t enough just to lay it out there (especially with bland stock photography). The real secret to creativity in medical marketing is not working outside the box—the FDA doesn’t like that—but rather, finding a way to astonish within it.