#035 · 17 March 2025

Hello POPhealth readers,

It’s been a few weeks, eh? And it’s March! How did that happen? I started writing this issue a couple of weeks ago. As for finishing it? That just didn’t go my way. So now, I’m sitting here on Saturday afternoon, reviewing a half-started issue and debating what’s still relevant.

My rant about my impending March-stration (March frustration) certainly still stands. I am coming at this from the stance of a working mum because March really is the motherload performative career mumness. In the same week, we deal with the obligatory high expectations of World Book Day (please don’t laugh) and the tokenistic grandstanding of International Women’s Day (IWD).

Both fill me with dread.

Let’s start with World Book Day. Being a mum of a neurodiverse child means this is never a straightforward affair. A reluctance to engage. Zero desire to dress up. While Child 2, being only 5, has wildly unrealistic expectations of my ability to cobble something together. And yet, we got through it, again. Proof? Here is Child 2 in his age-inappropriate “Mortaxe” costume from the Beast Quest book series - a recycled Halloween costume, plus a hand-drawn mask by moi. Child 1 refused to be photographed.

Next, IWD and my annual existential crisis. A time where I look back and question every career setback, get angry about the microaggressions I’ve faced as a woman in the creative industries, then feel guilty for not being the inspirational role model I supposedly am to the young women I mentor.  When the World Economic Forum tells us it will take 134 years to close the global gender gap, what exactly are we celebrating?

Ah March. Maybe I’ll get a moment to rest my mind by Mother’s Day.

So, how about you? Has your organisation celebrated IWD? How? Have you felt inspired? Or disillusioned? Have you personally noticed a shift? Let me know, I’d love to hear about it.

Right then, shall we have a look at the health and culture bookmarks and notes that have been piling up for me over the last few weeks?

From the Queen Vic to the GP

Cultural moments shape health conversation

Searches for ‘crush syndrome’* saw an epic spike following Martin Fowler’s literal heart-wrenching death during the special live episode for EastEnders’ 40th anniversary in the UK. I was right there, Googling with the masses, desperate to find a cure for poor Martin.

_{*Crush syndrome happens when someone experiences extremely heavy pressure on the body, damaging the muscles and causing toxic substances to leak into the blood. At the same time, fluid moves into the injured muscles, making them swell and reducing blood flow. A terrifying situation to be in. [More here].}

This moment reminded me of a campaign by the MND Association. The organisation fully embraced a storyline unfolding on Coronation Street (another British Soap icon), where a leading, well-loved character was diagnosed with motor neurones disease.

The MND Association recognised something crucial - that when we see health struggles play out for characters we are deeply invested in, those issues feel personal. In these moments, complex medical terms stop being abstract; they become real and capture our imagination.

Healthcare brands can bridge fiction with reality; when you have peoples’ attention, you have the opportunity to share real-life experiences and drive awareness and impact. And that’s just it: health conversations thrive when they are woven into culture, making information more relevant, accessible and ultimately emotionally powerful.

I’m currently doing a deeper dive into this topic for VCCP Health, so watch this space!

Mind left X. 

This is a move that couldn’t be more right. A charity focused on mental health does not belong in an online toxic cesspit.

If you are still looking for Mind content, you can find them at

Threads 

Bluesky 

LinkedIn

CensHERship

Women’s Health start-ups take on tech giants

Six women’s health start-ups have filed complaints against major tech platforms, including Meta, Google and Amazon, with the European Commission for systemic censorship of women’s health content. Led by advocacy group CenHERship, the companies are invoking the Digital Services Act (DSA) to challenge the restrictive content moderation policies.

From the Fem Tech Insider article; critical women’s health topics such as menopause, reproductive health and sexual health have been unfairly censored by the platforms, affecting not only the women this vital health information is for but the female entrepreneurs behind these businesses. The case states that bias is evident in the inconsistent enforcement of the platform policies, where ads for male health issues like erectile dysfunction are allowed.

The co-founders of CensHERship went on to say:

If you work for a Women’s Health brand, it is important to anticipate these biases in content moderation when planning our campaigns. Understanding the guidelines of each platform and adapting your content accordingly is key to ensuring the health information and advice you are delivering actually gets to the people who need it.

But for all of us in the industry, we must urgently advocate for the removal of unnecessary barriers and demand equitable representation in digital health conversations. With misinformation rampant on these platforms, we have a responsibility to ensure that accurate, reliable health information reaches the public, especially as social media becomes the go-to source for healthcare advice and support.

So JFK Jr. wants to ban pharmaceutical advertising in the States. I found this take from Matt O’Brien on LinkedIn an interesting and easy breakdown of the news and its potential impact.

Allegra x Disney

An unexpected yet perfectly obvious partnership

Opella’s Allegra allergy relief has launched a surprising partnership with Disney for the release of the new live-action Snow White film. I say surprising, but with a core message like “you don’t have to be sneezy or sleepy”, it’s a match made in fairy tale heaven.

The campaign is a welcome break from the typical OTC consumer ad, using the Seven Dwarfs to bring Allegra’s benefits to life in a way that is really fun, and that viewers will just instantly get. Launching in 15 markets worldwide, the campaign coincided with the film's March release, with in-store activations playing a key part in the mix.

By tapping into the whimsy of Snow White, Allegra is telling a story, not just selling the product. The brand’s core benefit of non-drowsy allergy relief fits seamlessly within this world, making the message more engaging and memorable. It’s a reminder not to take your core claims at face value but to break past the clinical meaning and find creative ways to highlight the real benefit to the end user.

The Guardian reported on an exciting new swab test for cancer a couple of weeks ago, and it’s good news for women’s health. The new test, called WID-easy, could help hundreds of thousands of women in the UK avoid painful and invasive procedures to detect womb cancer. Apparently, this simple swab is as effective as an ultrasound, and could improve early diagnosis.

Dr. Who?

More like Dr. Her

For the first time in UK history herstory, there are more female doctors than male. According to data from the General Medicine Council (GMC), 164,440 women (50.04%) are now registered with a licence to practise, compared to 164,195 men (49.96%). The GMC attributes this shift to a steady rise in the number of women entering medical schools. Since 2018/19 female medical students have outnumbered their male counterparts, leading to this important milestone.

Looking more closely at the figures, there are huge variations in the types of medical specialities that women choose. The majority opt for General Practice or Paediatrics, while surgery has the lowest proportion of female doctors at just 16.9%.

Healthcare marketers must take note of these shifts and ensure their communications are reflective of this evolving workforce. Brands have a role to play in championing female HCPs to break down public biases and actively support a more equal and inclusive medical field. The future of medicine is not just male or female. It’s diverse, dynamic and driven by talent above all else. 

The cruel reality of vaccine hesitancy plays out in this Atlantic article, covering the tragic death of a young girl from a Mennonite community in Texas. She became the first US measles fatality in over a decade. 

Finally, here is your new recommendations list… enjoy!

And let me know what you’ve dived into:

📺 Watch: Apple Cider Vinegar, Netflix (I’m halfway through after watching The Search for Instagram’s Worst Con Artist docuseries about the same influencer)

🎧 Listen: Joel Bervell - A medical mythbuster’s mission to improve healthcare, TED health

📖 Read: The Truth About Talent: Health Marketing, The Blueprint

I’m gonna wrap this up on Sunday evening and probably schedule it to go out tomorrow morning. It’s been an exhausting weekend of solo parenting, more tantrums than I can count on one hand (and that’s just mine) and 90 minutes of my life I’ll never get back, thanks to the Dog Man movie.

I seriously hope you are all keeping well, and I’d love to hear from you before the next issue. Thanks for sticking with me. My goal is always to bring you the most interesting news, insights and creativity that intersect with health x culture. Because whether you work in healthcare or not, health impacts all of us.

If this was your first time reading, I’d love for you to subscribe to POPhealth. I publish on an irregularly-regular basis, so having it land in your inbox means you won’t miss a thing. And if you’ve been here before, a share goes a long way, so if something sparked a thought or made you see things differently, please pass it on. Your support is what keeps POPhealth growing.

Until next time,

EML ✌