Haleon named Collectively as its principal U.S. influencer marketing partner Thursday morning.
The U.K.-based consumer healthcare giant chose the New York-based influencer marketing agency to serve as its lead for influencer marketing related to its over-the-counter and wellness brands across categories for three years.
As part of the contract, Collectively will utilize a range of influencers — including celebrities, nano-influencers and leading healthcare professionals on social media — for campaigns supporting some of Haleon’s most well-known brands like painkiller Advil, Sensodyne toothpaste and Tums antacid tablets.
The move also comes about 18 months after Haleon spun off from GSK and has embarked on establishing its own identity in the ever-expanding world of consumer health.
“Haleon is in the midst of a transformation in how we connect and resonate with consumers,“ said Katie Williams, chief marketing officer of Haleon U.S. in a statement. “Prioritizing sophisticated influencer strategy through Collectively as well as richer, more upstream integration of this channel in our marketing mix will enable us to show up where and how consumers are discovering, learning about, and choosing brands today.”
While Collectively is being brought on board to bolster Haleon’s influencer chops, the company is no stranger to leveraging celebrities and key voices to promote its products.
In the lead up to Super Bowl LVIII, Tums teamed up with DraftKings to launch Tums Prop Bites, a free-to-play competition where players had a chance to win $10,000 in prizes.
The brands also enlisted comedian and talk show host Desus Nice to serve as the Tums Prop Bites Tipster, featuring him in digital and social content as part of the effort up until kickoff of the big game.
The world of consumer health is a hot spot of activity and investment for the industry, given the launch of Johnson & Johnson spinoff Kenvue last year. This week also saw the debut of Havas Consumer Health, the holding company’s latest foray into the sector that will incorporate capabilities from Havas Health & You, and Havas Creative Network.
Collectively CEO Ryan Stern welcomed the Haleon announcement in a statement, adding that the three-year timeline speaks to the growing potential healthcare companies have for influencer marketing, putting it in line with creative and media agency reviews.
“Creators have the distinct ability to speak with true cultural relevance and offer up personal, authentic conversations about health and wellness issues, so leaning into influencer marketing will make a big impact for Haleon,” Stern stated. “We plan on tapping into a wealth of influencer relationships and tactics to ensure that their brand teams are effectively optimizing creators in their marketing plans.”
