On TV it is practically impossible to talk about the advantages of a particular hospital. Even if a given hospital can be shown to be the best, or the most highly awarded, communicating these facts is prohibited. Products that aim to be rolled out in Brazilian hospitals have to pass a rigorous inspection by internal and external oversight boards, as in the case of ANVISA (Agência Nacional de Vigiliância Sanitária - National Health Inspectorate). Besides this, everything has to be approved by the hospital’s own board of directors and Department of Infectology, who evaluate things such as ease of handling, sterilization, use of appropriate and non-infectious materials, durability, recyclable components and much else. The product is only approved once it is passed all these stringent hospital requirements.

Cancer treatment is never easy, but it is especially hard for children. For them, chemotherapy is worse than the disease itself. It causes hair loss, sores, and nausea, and they do not understand how it can help them to get better. The major challenge faced by doctors at the A.C.Camargo Cancer Center is maintaining these children’s belief in the treatment. So, we worked with the hospital to design the world’s first child-friendly version of the treatment:

IV Covers, designed to transform the chemotherapy into a 'Superformula.'

Developed in collaboration with the doctors and designers, the covers are easy to sterilize and handle, conforming to hospital hygiene standards whilst avoiding complicating the nurses’ normal routine. And to give these covers a more powerful meaning, we worked with Warner Bros. to create a whole story around them: comic books, animations and a new look for the pediatric ward (doors, walls, game room, etc). The Superformula was made a permanent part of the A.C.Camargo Cancer Center, and more than 200 national and international hospitals asked us to implement the idea. In numbers, we got over 150 minutes in TV, 76% more pediatric patients vs. 2012, and over 30,000 Facebook Shares.

The goal was to change the negative perception children had of chemotherapy and to provide reasons that would allow them to believe in the cure. The target audience were families who have children suffering from cancer.

Permanently implemented at AC.Camargo Cancer Center since 2013, our idea was to turn chemotherapy and the other medications used to treat cancer into a 'Super Formula'. First, we created IV bag covers based on ‘Justice League’ characters to cover the chemo bags. The covers were developed to fit all standard-sized medications (500ml) and to have a simple closing system that would not get in the way of the nurses’ routine. In addition, their specific material and design comply with hospital regulations. And to give these covers a more powerful meaning, we worked with the doctors at the hospital to create animations and comic books where superheroes have to face the same situations that the children do and regain their strength through the same 'Super Formula'.

The children’s perception of chemotherapy has changed since the first day the 'Super Formula' became part of the hospital’s routine.

Thanks to this innovation, the pediatric ward of the A.C.Camargo Cancer Center became the preferred of the country: 76% more patients vs. 2012. The 'Super Formula' has helped in humanizing the treatment, changing the negative perception children have of chemotherapy. Young patients are more inspired, which is a great help at medication and meal times. For this, the Superformula became a permanent feature of the A.C.Camargo Cancer Center, and more than 200 national and international hospitals asked us to implement the idea. In numbers, we got over 150 minutes in TV, over 30,000 Facebook Shares and, according to Reddit, the Superformula was the most shared image in the world on the week we launched the campaign.

The strategy was to create more than advertising, but something that would help for real, attracting people and media attention. The idea is an innovation on how childhood cancer is treated; it is the first pediatric version of chemotherapy. The covers, animations, and comic books have been helping children to believe in their cure, trust doctors, and understand, in simple language, the difficult time they are facing. This makes cancer treatment less traumatic for them, aiding in the prevention of psychological traumas that arise post-treatment.

There exists a trend within the medical world of trying to humanize treatments and better adapt them to children. In the case of medicines, this ‘humanizing’ ends up focusing on the simplest things, like cough syrups or vitamins (which both have infinite pediatric variations). Chemotherapy, being a far more complex medicine, has so far been considered untouchable. What we did wasn’t simply to create a pediatric version of the drug, but an entirely new kids' world within the hospital which is changing the children’s perception of the treatment. And children who used to be afraid and tried to avoid going to hospital, now remember with fondness the nurses who used to bring them their ‘Super Formula’. The goal was to change the negative perception children had of chemotherapy and to provide reasons that would allow them to believe in the cure. The target audience were families who have children suffering from cancer.