Excedrin Gaming - The Healing Academy (2021)

AdAge "Creativity Pick of the Day" and "Editor's Choice" - April 2021

AGENCY SPOTLIGHT - RECAP

WINNER: Bronze (x2) -- 2022 CLIO AWARDS -- Creative Effectiveness, Health & Wellness; Public Relations, Health & Wellness

WINNER: 14th ANNUAL SHORTY AWARDS -- Silver CONSUMER, Bronze GAMIFICATION, MULTI-PLATFORM PRESENCE, SHORT FORM VIDEO, Winner in TWITCH

WINNER: Silver -- 2022 EFFIE AWARDS -- Health and Wellness OTC category 

WINNER: Gold and Silver -- SmartiesX Data/Insights Category; Silver for SmartiesX Gaming / Gamification & E-Sports Category

SHORTLIST FINALIST: 2022 Cannes Lions; One Show, PR—Brand Transformation category; 2021 Digiday Awards; many others...

We were tasked with taking Excedrin into a space the brand had never touched: gaming. And it made sense. After an in-depth study, we found more than 70% of gamers say getting head pain while gaming adversely affects focus and performance, yet the majority (80%) of them play through the pain. Using our data, we even developed a science backed gaming routine to help them avoid headaches and triggers.

But how could we earn media? As a gamer myself, I knew that many brands focus on gamers, but none of them have ever focused on the unsung heroes of gaming: the healers. So, along with teammates, I created The Healing Academy: a super squad of Gaming Healers. Now, more than ever, healers should be celebrated in the world. I led creative development of the characters, their looks, their backstories, and their powers. We worked closely with Friends Electric in London for nearly a year on design, sound design, casting, direction, and production of a series of :30 and :15 spots.

Through social listening, we uncovered insights around how gaming has an immense impact on both the body and the mind, creating the ultimate gamers’ paradox - and an unmet need that the brand could help solve. In 2020, we took our research further by conducting a brand-owned study to validate the relationship of gaming and headaches, and to prove out methods designed to help reduce the risk of headaches, improve focus, and optimize performance.

We collaborated with experts in the space—Ph.D.s in neuroscience, professional esports coaches, clinical psychologists, and professional and amateur gamers—to design and test a mindful gaming routine consisting of 6 steps in a live environment through exposed/control groups, giving the brand science-backed credibility. Additionally, we partnered with Matthew Haag, AKA “Nadeshot”—an influential streamer, as well as CEO and Founder of the esports collective and lifestyle brand 100 Thieves to help humanize the study by sharing his personal experiences with gaming-related headaches. We also created owned assets for online video, display, and social, all grounded in gaming culture to create The Excedrin Healing Academy featuring six diverse healers each tied to a specific headache trigger. Finally, Excedrin launched the first OTC partnership with Twitch, the world’s largest video game streaming platform.

“Game Over for Headaches” was a successful campaign from a metrics perspective; results show that we effectively broke through to a new audience by partnering with influential streamers on livestreams and leveraging original paid social and digital creative concepted out of science-backed insights. This led to heightened earned coverage and positive consumer attention, and ultimately drove meaningful business results.