3 Key Principles to Developing Effective Creative Campaigns within Canada’s Regulated Pharma Landscape

There was a recent editorial news segment on CBC Network that aimed to explain to the general public how direct-to-consumer (DTC) pharmaceutical advertising works in Canada. While there are American ads that people might see on American channels like CNN, the journalist said that these types of ads are not permitted in Canada. That’s true. But then he went on to say that there is a ‘loophole’ that Canadian pharmaceutical marketers and advertisers have found which explains why we still see the ads that we do. 

A “loophole”?! It is NOT a loophole, it’s called regulations. Created by Canada’s Food and Drug Act and enforced by Health Canada to protect Canadians from misinformation about their health.

For the sake of clarity, let’s describe these regulations as they pertain to the marketing of prescription drugs in Canada. There are two kinds of DTC ads permitted in Canada: 1. Reminder Ads and 2. Help Seeking Ads. Within the industry, we call the two types of ads Branded and Unbranded, respectively.  Branded ads feature the product brand name (e.g., Viagra) but they cannot describe the condition that the drug is for (e.g., erectile dysfunction). Unbranded ads are the opposite: they educate about a particular disease state or medical condition but make no reference to a specific treatment or drug brand.   

And yes, it may seem counterintuitive. Think of it this way: imagine an ad promoting the consumption of a sweet, carbonated, brown beverage that did not mention the brand Coke. Or conversely, an ad featuring a brand like Doritos, without depicting a deliciously seasoned, crunchy, triangular tortilla chip.  

While many pharmaceutical advertisers in Canada may be envious of the American model where both a drug brand and its corresponding condition can be mentioned together, we are rather fond of our Canadian guidelines. They serve an important purpose that protects clinical dialogue and decision making between healthcare professionals and patients. Plus, it makes things more challenging creatively.

There is no set prescription for how to create effective DTC advertising in Canada, but one thing we observe no matter what country the ad is made in, is that despite looser regulations in the U.S., most branded pharma ads look and sound the same, and therefore are quite ignorable. They all typically feature smiling people engaging in some type of leisurely activity such as walking in a park or having a barbeque with friends and family, while a voiceover provides information about all the side effects of the drug being advertised. On the flip side, unbranded ads have more obvious inherent value. They raise awareness of different conditions, trigger self-reflection, and point people to valuable educational resources or to speak with their doctor.  

This is where the art of DTC advertising comes in. Here are three key principles for creating effective branded and unbranded campaigns in Canada, with some examples from our work at No Fixed Address (NFA) Health.

Principle 1: The Business Context. The decision between the development of a branded vs. an unbranded campaign is generally tied to the drug’s market share. At NFA Health, we have developed unbranded campaigns for products that were the only branded option. But that’s rare. More commonly, one product is the overwhelming market leader. These are the scenarios where unbranded campaigns can grow the category, and the leader disproportionately benefits. The case for branded options tends to fall into scenarios with more evenly distributed market share, and a more balanced competitive market dynamic. The goal, more often than not, is to raise the mental awareness of one treatment option over the others during clinical dialogue between patients and their doctors.

Principle 2: The Human Context. Now, let’s look at some examples, starting with a key treatment in J&J Innovative Medicine’s prostate cancer portfolio. In this case, the conditions were prime for an unbranded campaign. Their product enjoyed dominant market share in advanced prostate cancer, so once again, an unbranded campaign (and corresponding total category growth) would benefit the brand. 

In this therapeutic area, we discovered that most men struggle to express themselves and their needs in clinical settings with healthcare professionals. So to help them communicate more effectively and collaborate with their doctor on identifying the right therapy for them, we developed a tool to help them rehearse—literally. Called ‘Crucial Rehearsal’, the campaign included a simple online tool with 3 easy questions for men to answer (see www.crucialrehearsal.ca). The site outputs a script that men could use to prepare, and rehearse, for their medical appointments. The campaign was supported with extensive digital and broadcast media, as well as a segment on Breakfast Television featuring a respected medical oncologist. 

Principle 3: The Cultural Context. Novo Nordisk recently introduced the first treatment indicated for chronic weight management to Canada. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that prescription treatment for obesity has received a lot of attention in the media lately, which only adds complexity to an already stigmatised condition. In this case, a branded campaign was chosen to raise awareness and shift the mental association of obesity treatments to the Health Canada approved treatment. But as discussed earlier, no direct reference to the therapeutic area could be made within a branded ad. The problem is that an ad featuring only a logo for Brand X and a callout to speak to your doctor with no mention of the medical condition it’s referring to can be confusing.  Is it for mental health or a severe dermatological condition? It can be hard to tell. To address this, we decided to pivot against the social media clamour surrounding weight loss drugs and move away from the ‘Hollywood appeal’ of these treatments. We decided instead to focus on real, everyday people who are struggling with chronic weight management. The ads were subtle enough to be compliant with the Ad Standards Canada (ASC) guidelines, but relevant and recognizable enough to support the brand objectives and encourage people with the condition to ask their doctor about NovoNordisk’s indicated treatment option by its brand name.

So while the Canadian regulations may seem much more restrictive compared to the American model, we believe they foster a more deliberate, bespoke, and patient-centred approach to DTC advertising. By respecting clinical dialogue, we not only protect patients and the autonomy of physician decision making, but also help people elevate their health in an engaging and productive way.  

Effective DTC advertising for pharmaceuticals draws on much of the same strategic and creative thinking that produces breakthrough mainstream advertising.  It’s critical to dig deep into the human experience – arguably deeper than if we were making ads for breakfast cereal.  It’s our health we’re talking about here, and what goes deeper than that?  And since every ad, including in healthcare, has some behavioural objective at play, the need for disruption and capturing people’s attention is key.  We should not concede to conventions, lose sight of deep strategic insights, nor dampen the creative spirit that produces impactful work. This is how we command the attention that health deserves, positively change behaviour, and, at the end of the day, enhance patient care.