Nurofen proves power of consistency in pain campaign

‘Decide what it is you stand for and stand for it 100% of the time.’

The words of Clayton M Christensen, one of the world’s leading writers on marketing innovation and business, sound simple. Yet for anyone in the business of marketing, the truth that consistency is the hardest goal to achieve is increasingly clear.

When we are all the main characters in our own professional lives, we forget that we are just a small part of consumers’ lives. It is a disconnect which goes some way in explaining why brands so often overlook the power of consistency in a seemingly unending search for a new creative approach.

When it comes to purpose-driven and advocacy campaigns, this quest for the new often bleeds into criticism for not being authentic. It takes time not just to raise awareness of a problem but to commit to the investment required to make a tangible difference.

In this environment, Nurofen’s long-running commitment to closing the gender pain gap is both unique and worth celebrating. The campaign, created by McCann London, is both commercially successful and compellingly worthwhile.

The latest iteration of the work steps up the fight against women’s pain being dismissed. The thought-provoking pain game campaign is elevated by thoughtful casting and successfully highlights the harsh reality facing women who routinely have their experience of pain dismissed.

The work successfully builds on the ‘See My Pain’ platform with a real-life board game featuring the dismissals women hear when sharing their lived experience of pain. From ‘It's all in your head’ to ‘You're just stressed.’ To that one-size-fits-all diagnosis, ‘You’re being emotional.’

The setbacks in the game symbolise how accessing a pain diagnosis can feel like battling an unfair, rigged system. The campaign builds on insights in Nurofen’s Gender Pain Gap report, which found one in two women felt their pain was dismissed or ignored due to their gender.

Nikki Hayward, Category Director at Nurofen, explained: "Women shouldn't have to fight to be believed about their own bodies. ‘See My Pain’ exists to make the invisible visible. But this is much more than a campaign. It’s a commitment to invest in the research and training that will actually close this gap.”

She continues: “That’s why Nurofen is backing the campaign with real action. This new chapter of ‘See My Pain’ reflects the brand’s significant, ongoing investment in systemic change: funding groundbreaking new research, gender bias training for medical professionals, tools for women and doctors to improve pain diagnosis.”

The campaign cast real women living with pain conditions to capture their raw, unfiltered accounts of the healthcare inequities women like them face every day. It calls on healthcare professionals, policymakers, and every organisation that touches women's health, to work together to help end women's pain dismissals.

Mel Arrow, McCann London CEO, added: “We’re proud to partner with Nurofen on its continued mission to close the gender pain gap, shaking up an otherwise rational category with some much needed empathy and understanding.”

She continued: “The See My Pain platform has already proven to be hugely effective, both societally and commercially, so thank you and huge recognition to Nurofen for the ongoing commitment to it.” 

An incredible example of the power of a household brand to level the playing field for the long-term.

You can find out more about See My Pain and Nurofen’s work ending the gender pain gap here.