Theraflu Claims Americans Are Sick of Working Sick

In America, 28 million workers have to go to work sick or they don’t get paid. Theraflu, a leading cold and flu medicine, believes that this is bad for you, bad for those around you and bad for everyone, so they worked together with Grey to push Congress to pass universal paid sick legislation in a new campaign.

Believe it or not, only 15 States in America have paid sick day laws. That means that more than 28 million workers have to go to work sick or they don’t get paid. Theraflu, a leading cold and flu medicine, believes that going to work while sick is bad. Bad for you, bad for those around you, bad for everyone… It's even bad for business, But it's especially bad for african-american and latino women because many of them perform the low wage service jobs which lack sick pay.

Haleon has worked with WPP, Edelman and a leading nonprofit legal advocacy organisation dedicated to work-family justice, to do something about this. First, they launched the Rest and Recover Fund which has given 3250 grants to workers without sick pay. This is not enough, so in 2023 they decided what was really needed was universal paid sick leave legislation, because workers in America are SICK OF WORKING SICK. 

So, with a series of spots created by Grey, Theraflu invited Americans to petition Congress to make paid sick leave a right for all using their own paid media to promote this.

Pam Remash, cold cough & flu marketing director US at Haleon said, "We believe people shouldn't have to make the difficult choice between their health and their paycheck. It should not be a privilege but a right to be able to rest and recover." 

The campaign shows the disparity where some workers can stay home and recover from a cold or a flu, while others are forced to go to work to earn their daily wages. It was shot in Nashville with a cast which consisted of actors and real workers that have suffered lack of paid sick leave.

“This is a real issue, so we wanted performers who knew what it felt like,” said Joaquin Ares and Mariano Favetto, executive creative directors of Borderless Grey.

“These stories needed to be shared in a way that no cold and flu medicine has done before. That's why we chose Elena Parasco to direct them - we appreciate her strong point of view on gender issues and her empathetic approach to conveying them.” 

The campaign ran during last winter and so far, 1 in 2 people who saw it have petitioned Congress for a change in legislation. Haleon is in active contact with legislators to keep pushing the issue, and say they won't stop until paid sick leave is a right for all.