As mentioned in The Washington Post on January 25, “This year’s flu season is already the most widely spread on record since health officials began keeping track 13 years ago.” More than ever, marketers and agencies have a powerful role in shaping public health, curbing harmful behaviors, and promoting good ones among at-risk communities and individuals. Let’s do our part in 2018.

Tom Galati is Associate partner and creative director of Patients & Purpose

See also: 6 Campaigns that Talk to, Not at, Patients


Campaign: Become a Skin Checker
Company: La Roche-Posay
Agency: BETC

La Roche-Posay’s skin checker campaign emphasizes one simple thought: If you care for somebody, check his or her moles. It reminds people of the importance to conduct regular mole checks of themselves and their loved ones. Spotting precancerous lesions before they become skin cancer can prevent this potentially deadly disease.


Campaign: Bloated Chicken
Company: Aster Hospital
Agency: The Classic Partnership

One in five people in the United Arab Emirates is suffering from gastric problems because of obesity and poor diets. Bloated stomach is its most visible symptom. If not treated immediately, it can lead to ulcer, gastritis, gastroesophageal reflux disease, stomach cancer, and other grave complications. Using a light-hearted visual hook of bloated chickens, cows, fish, and a goat, this campaign caught my eye. It not only sets a tone for Aster Hospital’s gastroenterology center, but also activates patients to speak to their gastros about their condition.

Campaign: Autism Speaks
Company: Ad Council
Agency: LatinWorks

Thanks partly to autism awareness campaigns such as this, autism diagnosis has increased 30% in the past three years. This campaign is all about using “craft” to tell a meaningful story. World of Autism comes to life on TV, where it takes audiences through an imaginative world to illustrate the signs of autism. The full campaign includes radio, print, outdoor, and digital assets. I applaud both agencies for their beautiful work that introduced a fresh and relatable style.

Campaign: Footnote for the Breast
Company: Medcare Women & Children Hospital
Agency: The Classic Partnership

Unlike in the U.S., breast cancer awareness is not openly discussed in Arab countries. In order to reach Arab women, pebbles stamped with a simple message and an 800 number to call for a free consultation were placed in shoes that were left outside of mosque prayer halls. When they returned from prayers, the women would feel the pebbles when they put on their shoes. The reaction of immediately checking the lump found in the shoe is symbolic to how one should react when a lump is discovered on the breast. This simple, behavior-changing concept is saving lives and starting to chip away at the cultural taboo.

Campaign: Detect Eye Cancer
Company: CHECT (Childhood Eye Cancer Trust)
Agency: Wunderman

This U.K.-based campaign from the Childhood Eye Cancer Trust features a series of interactive posters printed using reflective ink showing parents how they can check their child for eye cancer using flash photography. Each of the posters features a close-up shot of the eye of a real child who has survived retinoblastoma, an aggressive, deadly eye cancer that mainly affects young children. The pupil appears bright white, in contrast to a healthy-looking eye. The white mark is one indicator of a possible eye tumor. It’s a smart, simple use of media and tech for a life-saving idea.


Campaign: High Blood Pressure Control
Company: Ad Council
Agency: Havas

I am one of the nearly half of all American adults who have high blood pressure. Luckily, I have it under control, and I know it can lead to much more serious issues such as heart failure, heart attack, stroke, vision loss, kidney disease, and even death. Without being overly shocking, this campaign uses simple patient portraits depicting lucky survivors from stroke and heart attack to drive home the message of urgency.

From the March 01, 2018 Issue of MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media