#014 · 18 November 2023

Hello hello!

I sit here writing this newsletter on a rainy Saturday morning. What else is there to do? Half the family is away, so it’s just me and W, and I’ve lost him to the Nintendo Switch. Standard Saturday AM then.

Barbie pink nails are happily tapping the keys and birthday cards also surround me, as last weekend I celebrated my 40th. What a party. So many people keep telling me this is the best decade… So, I am excited to see what it brings… that’s for sure.

I was hemming and hawing over whether to sit down and write this week. I just feel exhausted. Partying… yes, but work feels super busy right now, and I’ve spent more hours at this desk than usual. But I’m running with the positive side of that. A healthy workflow in Q4 means a good start to Q1. And it’s planning season for many healthcare brands right now… so what better time to push out another dose of inspiration?

I seem to have accumulated a lot of bookmarks in the past couple of weeks, so let’s jump into it!

This is not hot off the press (the campaign launched in the summertime), but as the campaign results have come in, it’s back in the news cycle… and a great source of inspiration for brand planning ahead.

What is it? TLDR: A karaoke both MOA (mode of action) experience.

To launch Lysol’s new air sanitiser, the brand created an experience to put its skills to the test. According to the campaign 1,000 virus and bacteria-filled droplets can be produced from just one minute of singing. Air-aoke was an immersive experience that got people behind the mic to belt one out, whilst LED screens artistically depicted the virus and germs around them. After each performance, Lysol Air Sanitizer would literally and digitally kill (99.9%) the virus to showcase how it works in action.

I love this because it’s kinda stupid… super fun. And beats hands down any boring MOA video. Regardless of whether you have an HCP audience or a patient audience – thinking outside of the box when it comes to communicating MOA should never be taken for granted.

Yes, I am Dove’s biggest fan girl. But the brand does amazingly good stuff for women and for representation… so you’ll never hear me shut up about them.

Dove and Open Source Afro Hair Library have launched Code My Crown in response to the lack of hairstyles for black people playing video games. The resources provide game developers the instructions, references and source codes for creating black hairstyles in video games.

My old pal Vincent, who worked on the initiative couldn’t have put the WHY behind this better, so I’ll let him do the talking:

According to Amanda Pritchard, Chief Exec of NHS England, with the combination of vaccination and screening, the goal of eliminating cervical cancer is a realistic ambition that could be achieved in the next couple of decades.

For me this was one of those moments where I was so excited by the headline… and then reality kicked in. I’ve done my fair share of work in women+ health including cervical cancer and I seriously wonder if such an ambition is simply unrealistic. The two things that are needed to achieve this, are vaccination and screening and both have their own barriers to overcome.

First off, HPV is a childhood vaccine so it’s down to parents to give consent. And it should come as no surprise that the vaccine comes with hesitancy and questions over necessity.

One UK study found that:

One third of parents still need more information to make a final decision about HPV vaccination in their children

In the States, John Hopkins looked at why parents really choose to refuse HPV vax and found that: Parents were concerned that the vaccination would encourage or support youth sexual activity, a reason frequently cited by doctors as a barrier to advocating for this vaccine. 

And to top this off, there is still a huge amount of work to be done to persuade women+ to get screened for cancer in the first place, as one in three women do not attend these appointments, and for lots of reasons; discomfort in the procedure itself and embarrassment to name two.

Marketing and communications will have to play a big role in overcoming these obstacles if this ambition is to be achieved… and that means showing up in places that capture the attention of women+ and speaking to them in ways that cut through the yawn of healthcare education and hits them at levels where they feel seen and heard.

Stuff like this… more of this, please!

Full disclaimer: the second video is from my old agency Mind+Matter so I’m biased.

More Ozempic clickbate for you all. The way this drug is cropping up in all corners of culture continues to amaze me and my colleagues at VCCP Health…and this is the latest headline that’s been shared around.

In short; a Wall Street Analyst (Bill Chappel – check his stats here) from financial advisors Truist, revised down the outlook for Krispy Kreme. The adjustment is attributed to the anticipated effects of weight loss and diabetes drugs, like Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy. Highlighting the likelihood of decreased indulgence among Americans, which is expected to exert a broader impact on food and beverage stocks.

Other analysts and investors are weighing in of course:

“Food producers are the “biggest loser[s]” of the weight loss drug boom, according to JPMorgan analysts led by Nick Rosato, also associating the stocks’ broad downturn with higher interest rates’ effect on expenses and shrinking pricing power with lower inflation. “We have seen a number of trends and possible disruptions come and go in consumer staples over the years, but never one quite like GLP-1s,” Rosato wrote to clients last week in a note analyzing the medications’ wide-spanning impact on the food and beverage industry. The impact of weight loss drugs is “real and potentially not small,” according to Rosato, citing beer and food delivery as items potentially most affected by associated dietary changes.

🤑 And in other GLP-1 news, AstraZeneca stay in the drug race following a new deal with Chinese-based biotech company Eccogene. Paying big money, to make big money!

I’m looking forward to what’s next to report on the ‘skinny jab’ phenomenon. If you read anything, please send it my way.

Well, Saturday is racing by… I’ve been up and down at the computer for a few hours, in between being mum… which roughly translates to bum wiper, personal stylist, chef, bartender, Pokémon TGC opponent and chief cuddler. Oh, and it’s still raining.

So, before the additional demands on me come flooding back in once Moana’s credits hit, let’s wrap things up with some other bits that have kept me occupied the last couple of weeks. As always these aren’t all healthcare related, but should hopefully get you thinking or bring a smile to your face…

🩸 I’m excited about dementia blood tests being trialled in the UK – early diagnosis will be critical for some of the ground-breaking treatments on the horizon.

👩‍👩‍👦‍👦 I often read around the human experience of different medical conditions… i.e. from the words of the people going through it. Be that the patient, the family, friends, and carers. This tiny trauma story from ‘Cancer Husband’ on Medium will hit you in the gut.

⚗️ An eye-opening, ground-level read on the US opioid crisis, where there’s been a shift in people becoming addicted to several substances, making treatment increasingly difficult.

🐑 Britain’s loneliest sheep was recused after being stranded at the foot of a remote cliff in Scotland for over 2 years.

🍫 KitKat is a massive brand in Japan, and one of the biggest deals is the rare flavours – some just sold for a few weeks or only available in specific regions. Some are even considered collectables. This is a brilliant read about a hijacked load of KitKats worth a quarter of a million dollars!

Ok, that’s your lot. I’ll be back in a couple of weeks… when Christmas will be in full swing! As always, if you’ve been inspired by what you’ve read today, please pass it on to a friend or colleague. I appreciate your support.

Until next time✌️

EML