The Zero Challenge (featuring what we call “flair balance” by Smitherton Gledhill) was a series of two live Twitch streams sponsored by HEMLIBRA, a prescription medication for hemophilia A. We wanted to reach young men with hemophilia who may not know about what HEMLIBRA can offer (the potential to prevent or reduce bleeds.) And to do this, we had to balance that information with appropriate safety information.

HEMLIBRA was launching the first ever pharmaceutical-branded live Twitch event. In order to do this in a way that was compliant with FDA guidelines, throughout the Twitch streams, we needed to incorporate a full read of lengthy safety information. The team had to find a way to include this important, but dense, “fair balance” (as it’s known in the US) without losing our gamer audience in the process.

The team invented Smitherton Gledhill, the foremost expert in safety videos, to deliver the required safety information in a completely unique way.  

We knew our young gamer audience tended to engage with short, funny videos online, and that an over-the-top personality, especially one leaning into a throwback 90s style, would catch their attention. The budget was low and timing was tight, so we shot all of the videos within a one day shoot on a green screen. We chose our actor based on his ability to improv, and we used humor and randomness to keep the energy up, even through serious clinical content. The approach was to turn a requirement (fair balance), into an opportunity to engage (what we call, “flair balance.”)

We created a series of 4 short videos, featuring the quirky and somewhat self-obsessed Smitherton, promoting both himself and important safety information about HEMLIBRA, in a fun yet compliant way.

In the videos, Smitherton references his past (fictional) safety film accolades, covering such topics as inner ear hygiene (“In Too Deep”) and elderly dancing (“One Hip, Still Hopping”). He takes calls from his cat’s portrait artist, and gets interrupted by a fan. And through it all, he delivers all of the fair balance for HEMLIBRA in a way that keeps the viewers attention, through and through.

The videos appeared throughout both Twitch streams. They were so popular that we also used Smitherton to promote the streams through paid social.

The first Twitch Zero Challenge event attracted over half a million unique viewers, who watched over 1.5 million minutes of the stream. It created an increase in traffic to the HEMLIBRA site, including sign-ups for more information about the medication. What was more remarkable was the difference we saw with how people experienced the safety information done in such a unique way. During the event, we saw in increase in chat activity AND viewership when Smitherton was on screen. This was groundbreaking for the branded pharmaceutical environment. For years, safety information has often been seen as a distraction from content. With “Flair Balance”, we managed to make this important context not just watchable, but entertaining.

This project was created by a US biopharmaceutical company for a prescription medication. It was subject to review by internal medical/legal/regulatory teams at Genentech as well as the FDA.

Young men living with hemophilia A, a rare bleeding disorder. People with hemophilia often need to avoid activities that can cause physical injury (as this can result in bleeds that may lead to joint damage and chronic pain). Research confirmed that they are highly interested in video games.