Gold
Genentech and 21Grams
Not So Bloody Mary
Genentech knows that a bleed is one of the scariest things someone with hemophilia can face, and the company wanted to introduce more people to Hemlibra, which can help patients achieve zero bleeds. It also had a spooky insight up its sleeve, aware that its target audience of young men love to be scared: They consume horror films, podcasts and ghoulish online content at 3.6 times the rate of average viewers.
So on the goriest day of the year, it reinvented Bloody Mary for a Halloween social onslaught. Viewers could summon Not So Bloody Mary, a quirky Midwestern mom, by saying her name into a social media mirror filter three times. Her good-natured patter proves that a lot can change when people remove bleeds from their life.
Each social media video leaned into a different horror story trope, borrowing interest from classic films such as It, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Child’s Play.
Every video ended with the line, “Make Halloween less bloody,” followed by Hemlibra’s zero bleeds data as a way to emphasize the brand benefit and safety information.
The judges loved that this campaign runs on entertaining content, and is not just another pharma ad. “This is clever, well done, creative and original, effectively delivering on insights from the community,” one said. By helping patients laugh in the face of their fears, the campaign shows that managing their health doesn’t have to be scary.
The campaign earned a 330% higher click-through rate than the benchmark, and two-thirds of people watched ads all the way through. Within a few months following the campaign’s launch, the number of patients on Hemlibra increased by 13%.
Silver
Otsuka America Pharmaceutical and Minds + Assembly
The Society of Valued Minds
The stigma of mental illness is strong, especially among young people aged 18 to 24. But self-expression is stronger. This campaign gave young people a chance to prove it. “An incredible message for an incredible need,” said a judge. “This creation of a community for young people who are suffering is beautifully done.” Witty and with an impressive visual aesthetic, it reached patients and allies with 133 million impressions.
