The head pain market in Poland, and other markets where the campaign is to run, is a highly competitive category and growing, with more players entering the migraine sector.

OTC products can be advertised to the public with the following restrictions:

• Content using real-life suffers must include a disclaimer.

• User-generated content to be monitored on the page in which it’s hosted.

• HCPs, celebrities, public figures can’t appear in communication

• All advertising materials must include standardised legal - video materials to feature an 8” hold time title accompanied by VO, taking minimum 20% of the frame.

One in five people suffer from migraine, but most people still think it’s ‘just a strong headache’. How could you understand what a migraine is like unless you’ve actually experienced one yourself? Excedrin, the head pain medication, wanted to help sufferers show the world how debilitating their migraine can be.

We developed the world’s first migraine simulator using Oculus Rift. Combining virtual reality developers with migraine sufferers, we built a custom-made rig we then used to create and film an experiment that allowed friends, family and co-workers to see the symptoms of migraine through the eyes of migraine sufferers.

Two key films were produced and translated for local markets to host online, alongside pre-rolls and display advertising that increased traffic significantly. Although the campaign has only recently launched we’ve reached 1.6 million of our target audience within the first two weeks, with more still to come.

The main aim was to give Excedrin’s prime audience (migraine sufferers, female, age 25yo+) a chance to show others the challenges they face when suffering from migraine and continue to position the brand as the ‘the head pain expert’, the empathetic expert that truly understands migraine sufferers. The objective of the campaign was to encourage awareness, consideration and trial amongst those who suffer or know someone with migraine.

All assists had to be translatable, so each shot during the film was carefully considered, so that no talking to camera was captured, to make it globally adaptable.

Understanding that every migraine is personal, we teamed real-life sufferers with VR developers to create a virtual world that mirrored the sufferers’ own experiences. Friends, family members and co-workers of migraine sufferers were challenged to take on a migraine for just 30 minutes in a regular day.

The experiment was filmed and uploaded to the brand’s YouTube channel, with traffic driven to the videos using paid media including pre-rolls and display advertising, as well as a dedicated page on the brand’s website. The campaign just recently launched in Poland on 24th April 2015 with a global roll out to follow. The campaign is set to be live in Poland until 31st July.

Utilising Oculus Rift enabled us to creative a piece of stand out communication that spoke to the consumers in a personable and honest tone, building on Excedrin’s global creative campaign ‘Though the Eyes.’

Every volunteer that took part in the experiment said that the experience showed them how severe migraine really is and they felt better equipped to support the migraine sufferer.

Alongside this we surveyed a cross-section of 475 people who saw the finished video:

-89% of respondents said it increased their understanding of migraine. More surprisingly, 81% of migraine sufferers themselves said it increased their understanding too.

-93% of people felt more sympathetic to migraine sufferers after watching the video and 63% of migraine sufferers said the video made them more likely to recommend Excedrin to another migraine sufferer.

In the first 2 weeks following launch in Poland, the campaign reached 1.6 million people. The experiment was so successful Excedrin is streamlining the technology to be used at press launches and trade shows. Excedrin also plans to take the kit on the road, allowing the public to experience it for themselves.

With the campaign living exclusively online, we decided to take a very different approach to Excedrin’s above-the-line strategy and adapt the brand’s tone-of-voice. Our aim was to create a truly authentic and honest piece of communication so that sufferers would feel they were understood – something they would want to share. Identifying our target audience’s digital behaviour, we served impactful and relevant pre-rolls and web banners that drove traffic to the hero content ‘migraine through my eyes’ film, as well as driving organic traffic using Excedrin’s own web page.

Unlike the brand’s competitors, Excedrin always aims to demonstrate empathy towards migraine sufferers, showing their unique understanding of what it’s like ‘through their eyes’.

We successfully embraced and customised new technology to create a much-needed tool that now, for the first time ever, helps sufferers show the world what they actually go through, positioning Excedrin as ‘the head pain expert’.

Although there is a wealth of educational and awareness materials available, the majority of the sufferers still describe their condition as ‘misunderstood’ by those around them, and most importantly, those close to them.

Excedrin wanted to explore new, digital ways to communicate with their consumers – above and beyond their traditional advertising - and raise awareness about migraine as a condition using content that was both ‘sharable’ and ’though the eyes’.

Although there is a wealth of educational and awareness materials available, the majority of the sufferers still describe their condition as ‘misunderstood’ by those around them, and most importantly, those close to them.

Excedrin wanted to explore new, digital ways to communicate with their consumers – above and beyond their traditional advertising - and raise awareness about migraine as a condition using content that was both ‘sharable’ and ’though the eyes’.