#008 · 25th August 2023

Hello Hello!

Welcome back to CULTURx.

I am so flattered by the generous feedback you’ve been giving me for this newsletter recently. Thank you so much.

So what can I tell you? Summer is in full swing, even though the British weather hasn’t quite caught on. I took a little over a week off work to spend some time with my boys. Jam-packed with fun, family visits, the science museum, a wedding, and a new tattoo. I also got in so much reading which means that I’ve got a bumper for you today. Plus, this week my partner has taken the boys away, leaving me with a rare week of being home alone (plus the animals). This has given me the chance to get in lots of running and more time than usual for writing.

I’ve also binged my way through Painkiller on Netflix. You didn’t ask for my review, but you are gonna get it anyway! I loved it. I found Painkiller way more addictive engrossing than Dopesick (another series covering the Purdue Pharma/opioid crisis which came out a few years ago on Hulu/Disney+). Two things stood out for me:

Netflix took a different approach in building the narrative around Richard Sackler. I was surprised by how they depicted his inner demons and his motivations, taking him out of the boardroom. And that bloody beeping fire alarm every time Matthew Broderick was on screen – it was like nails on a chalkboard. UNSETTLING.

The other aspect was the hyped-up dramatisation of the promotional and marketing activity. The plushy pills! The dancing pills. OH MY GOSH! Too much. It’s hard to believe all this swag is real. What is the equivalent of a busman’s holiday when you work in advertising? All this said, Dopesick was way better in how it developed the characters, and I was much more emotionally connected to them. Even though I did struggle with Michael Keaton’s “good guy” Dr. Samuel at the beginning of the series… why did they cast him as the good guy!? That perspective shifted dramatically as the series developed.

Have you watched Painkiller yet, or Dopesick? What did you think? I’d love to know. And with that, I weirdly have an accidental TV focus this week…

Shall we jump in?

I dropped a link to this on LinkedIn last week, so if you follow me, you might have already seen this. But I must bring it up again because I’m genuinely quite excited about the recent news that ITV has announced an investment in Flarin (a UK OTC analgesic), through its Media for Equity portfolio. You can catch all the details of the £5 million advertising inventory investment and the programme through the press release.

The reason I’m super curious about this one is that in the UK, the majority of brands in the OTC category (especially painkillers) are shockingly bad TV advertisers. There, I’ve said it. But was anyone genuinely surprised? The yawn-worthy formula of MOAs, an abundance of red to signify pain and discomfort, the predictable bullseye, and a barrage of key messages and functional benefits. It’s mad, really… you can’t get a bigger emotional opportunity than pain and wellbeing.

With one of the UK's biggest brands in entertainment putting their name to Flarin, I hope that comes with a little creative flare and a shake-up of the category. And the press release does mention a new brand building campaign, so perhaps the in-house creative agency will be working their magic on this one. Because let’s face it, pain needs whatever Essity did periods! I’ll be keeping an eye on this one!

The FDA has recently given approval for a new spiral-shaped tampon. The story threw me though, apparently, it’s been over 90 years since Tampax created the modern tampon we know and love today. 90 YEARS, until two young women created something for a class project at Standford. Yes created by two women who actually know what it is like to menstruate!

So, what’s cool about the creation? The tampon has spiral-like grooves around its length, instead of the straight ones that you see on a traditional tampon. This means it can absorb better (not more) and prevent leaks, a very common problem if you use tampons.

I love a story like this; it’s rare to see women founders being backed in their efforts to bring a product to market and their FDA approval.

The brand is actively engaging with women at this early stage and it’s certainly worth a snoop around their socials and website. Especially for the panel talks and activations at SXSW this year. Pretty darn cool if you ask me!

While I don’t claim to be your definitive news source for all things social media (far from it), I do absolutely love a good snoop on these platforms. Who doesn’t, right? It’s a fun exercise to keep up with the competition and now, that task is gonna be a lot easier with the introduction of TikTok’s transparent Ad Library. This is something that marketers have had access to from Meta for quite some time, so TikTok has finally caught up. And the new platform means you can look at all the ads that brands have run in the same way; including creative, campaign duration and targeting.

As well as keeping tabs on the competition, this is also a great resource for both creators and marketers to find inspiration and make better decisions for brands in the TikTok-sphere.

And for healthcare marketers, perhaps this will be a valuable source of evidence to back up your own creator/TikTok campaigns that you’re struggling to push past compliance!

The latest Live in the Moment commercial from Amgen for Otezla tries to bring a more light-hearted approach to plaque psoriasis. It depicts a man heading on a [insert preferred dating platform here] date to the cinema. With a red carpet take on his anxiety for both his condition and his potential to be cat-fished. Fun. The ad then takes a confusing turn: a bullet time technique on the moviegoers (where the people freeze and the camera pans). Which IMO feels like a completely separate idea… and perhaps that was the original idea, seeing as the commercial is called “live in the moment” … Which maybe anxiety stops you from doing… Wait, am I talking myself around? 🤪

Look, I’m not claiming this to be an amazing ad (I also don’t want to dog on people’s hard work). However healthcare marketers can take inspiration from it. And that inspiration is the use of comedy. Far too often, in health when we want to connect with patients emotionally, we go for the tears, the burden, the mental toll, the discomfort, etc. Forgetting that emotions have many faces. So, leaning into humour is Amgen’s plan to cut through the noise from the rest of the psoriasis market. It might not be perfect… but I can offer up this quote I heard Orlando Wood mention on the Uncensored CMO podcast (I coincidently listened to it this morning). It’s from advertising legend Jeremy Bullmore:

The conversation is worth a listen if you are thinking of using humour in your next TVC. I’ve linked it here. And speaking of TV…

Roku, the TV streaming company have released some new research into US primary care doctors’ TV watching and streaming habits. My sceptical side tells me to come at this with one eye on the fact that Roku is seriously trying to cash in on the billions that are spent on TV advertising from Pharma brands in the States. But at the same time, it’s rare to see research like this and I really enjoyed diving in.

Here are a few things that caught my eye:

• Doctors who are cutting the cord (i.e. no longer paying for cable TV) are 2x more likely to restrict visits from pharma sales reps

• 67% of doctors surveyed said they research a product seen in an ad whilst still watching TV

• And like many of us, doctors will bring work home, and complete these work tasks whilst sitting in front of the TV

• Doctors love Succession and Ted Lasso

The piece obviously goes on to promote the need for pharma advertising on streaming services like Roku and the benefits of the advanced targeting capabilities… And whilst in my day-to-day, I am not involved in the media planning side of healthcare advertising, this research is broadening my thinking about the customer journey for the HCP.  The research phrased it so well – thinking about the living room as a point of care. In consumer advertising, you naturally think about the home/living room as a place for brands and products to show up. It seems so obvious when put like that. But there are boundaries to be respected and compliance to navigate. I’m gonna be pondering how to best put this new data to use.

Those are my big shares from the past couple of weeks… but seeing as I am fresh off a week-plus off work, that meant there was a lot of reading to be done. Veering slightly off the topic of health in some cases, these are nonetheless good reads, enjoy!

🐚 It’s always nice to be reminded why you live by the sea… apparently, it helps you to feel better too!

💳 A really nice idea shared by Ben Thomas on LinkedIn around what to do with all the forgotten Oyster Card credit

👌 “You don’t have to be perfect, but you have to be actively seeking change” – that’s Jameela Jamil’s message to CMO’s in this excellent Ad Week read.

📺 Is it just me or does the muffled dialogue on your favourite shows drive you insane? I think I’ve found some answers *dives into the accessibility setting for hard of hearing*

🤖 Would you consider taking life advice from an AI? It’s a no from me. But these are actual tests being run by Google. I must stress (before I scare everyone) that the article does highlight these tests shouldn’t be viewed in isolation as they are not truly representative of Google's AI product roadmap.

So the TV sound works (better), now all I have to do is work out how I am gonna get the next issue out… it’s due to drop whilst I am in Ibiza, and I will not be in any frame of mind to do it poolside.

Don’t forget to subscribe and share. It’s such a delight to have new subscribers each time CULTURx drops. I appreciate you all being here. 🙏

Until next time ✌️

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