Excellence in Engagement Through Digital Channels

Summary of work

One in three women in the UK experience debilitating heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB), yet it remains a taboo topic and something that women are often told to put up with, even though medical treatments exist. It was time to open up the conversation and ultimately persuade sufferers to go see their GP for help.

Virgo Health presented a “social media pharma first” with the creation of Flo., a magazine-style publisher on Facebook. Flo. launched with a breakthrough video, The Period Trifle, which was designed to boldly communicate the graphic reality of HMB in a palatable, light-hearted way. Harnessing the trend of ‘sped-up’ recipe videos, we put all the ‘ingredients’ of HMB into a mixing bowl of missed opportunities and coping strategies. The campaign was an immediate success, with unexpectedly high levels of engagement for such a taboo topic. A series of additional content followed - all produced entirely in-house by Virgo with a careful blend of humour and empathy - and the social media results have continued to surpass all expectations.

Flo. is bold and brave. While pharma is traditionally cautious when it comes to social media, this digitally-led campaign proves that a well-thought out risk can most certainly pay off.

Judges' comments

Virgo Health and Bayer’s campaign took a very brave approach to tackling a taboo subject, and was provocative for the right reasons. It was also very well executed in creative terms, and effective audience targeting meant it generated a very connected audience online and in social media. At its core was highly impactful content and an effective social media campaign, and these defining components made it the winner.