How a healthcare ad became an unlikely viral mini series
Ogilvy Taipei was asked by two clients, global pharma company Merck Sharp & Dohme, and the Taiwan Association of Obstetrics and Gynecology, to promote the HPV vaccine. HPV is commonplace, easily transmitted, mainly strikes the young, and can lead to cervical cancer – so awareness is essential to combat this disease. Confronted with a condition that can lead to death, the Ogilvy Taipei team focussed on life.
Their solution was a mini-series called “The Life Bureau”, showing a team of harried backroom administrators as they attempted to control all the major decisions of a person’s existence – the Fates, if they had to answer strict quotas and inter-departmental politics. Using the tropes – and indeed, directors, cast and crew – of Taiwanese TV series, the seven minute, online-only episodes are packed with humour and pathos.
“Their solution was a mini-series called “The Life Bureau”, showing a team of harried backroom administrators as they attempted to control all the major decisions of a person’s existence.”
Viewership approached the total population of Taiwan, and vaccine registration increased 12-fold. For its humour, execution, and strategy, the film has been awarded a Graphite Pencil in Pharma Film.
This is a new category for D&AD, opened to honour outstanding work in healthcare communications, which is a fascinating, and tricky territory for creatives to explore. Restrictions exist within the space – it is, ultimately, medical advice, meaning that there are very hard regulations to consider. In the interview above, Associate Creative Director Louis Wang and Senior Copywriter Orca Yu describe these – and the imaginative potential they allow: “The challenge is that, due to regulations, the video must contain a large amount of health education messages and show real doctors. Some doctors may also have their own opinions on the video script, so we have to find ways to communicate with and even compromise with these respected doctors. Fortunately, because our client understands that these messages are very rigid and difficult for the general public to absorb, there is actually more creative space within certain limitations than imagined. Embracing the restrictions and finding a unique angle is the moment when we can exert our creative efforts.”
Wider, the team embraced any other agency wishing to create communications in the healthcare industry: “There are also many other outstanding creative individuals in the world who, through innovative ideas and profound insights, are guiding new possibilities for promoting human health. Our team feels honoured and inspired by their cases for our next project. If we were to talk about the challenges that the healthcare field may face, it should be "how to make people truly care?" Everyone knows that health is important, but unless there is a real crisis, it is often easy to ignore. If creative individuals can find a breakthrough point that motivates people to take action for their health, it will surely be a meaningful communication for all humanity.”