Chicago, IL. – It is no secret empathy within advertising, if done correctly, can be a powerful motivator to drive and change behavior. The Budweiser Super Bowl commercials honoring our military or the Budweiser dog searching for his home all leave us a bit misty eyed – and in the end they don’t mention or have product placement anywhere in the ads, just the brand.

Recently, Just Not Sports won a Clio award for their empathy work, the #morethanmean campaign. This gripping, emotionally driven movement showcases how women in sports are treated and bullied within social media channels. What starts as a jovial and funny spot quickly turns dark at the vile filth spewed at these women on twitter – and they have men reading the tweets out loud, face-to-face with these women sportscasters. (Warning – Crude Language)


Why it Matters:

We are continuing to witness an empathy shift within healthcare advertising. Pharma and healthcare companies are using empathy with physicians and caregivers as the audience to embody what patients are experiencing. Cannes was ripe with award winning empathy work around the globe. With patient centricity on the rise, empathy continues to win. As an example, companies such as UCB and Excedrin Migraine are using virtual reality as an empathy tool for physicians and caregivers to understand just what it is like to experience a seizure or migraine.

About the Author:

As Strategist of Innovation, Drew is charged daily with championing innovative thinking and doing. Drew is part of a global team that leads new innovative ideas that attract different advocates among existing and potential brands that are shared across all agency partners. Drew is backed by over 16 years of brand, sales and marketing experience with Fortune 500 companies such as Progressive and Nationwide Insurance as well as Founder & President of his own healthcare insurance agency for 6 years. Most recently Drew was part of the agency team that launched Briviact for UCB, Foundation Medicine as well as key roles with Eli Lilly Oncology and Johnson & Johnson.