Medtronic taps Disney star Jennifer Stone for new diabetes tech campaign

Medtronic is turning to a celebrity endorsement in the form of Jennifer Stone, the actress from the Disney Channel’s “Wizards of Waverly Place” series, to promote its reusable smart insulin injectable, InPen.

Stone is best known for her role as Harper Finkle in the children’s TV show, which ended back in 2012, alongside Selena Gomez.

She was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2013 and has been using the injectable InPen device for the past few years and is now a registered nurse in Los Angeles, while also still working in acting.

“It can be daunting to be diagnosed with type 1 diabetes because it’s something you have to live with for the rest of your life and manage every single day,” said Stone in a press release announcing the partnership "to help others living with type 1 diabetes learn more about advanced technologies that can help make life with diabetes easier."

“I remember feeling like no one truly understood what I was going through, and I struggled for a while to learn what solutions worked best for my diabetes management. I didn’t want to give up the things I loved or dramatically change my routine. I’m thrilled I found the Medtronic InPen system: it fits seamlessly into my life and makes living with diabetes easier.”

Medtronic markets a host of Type 1 diabetes products, including InPen, as well as its MiniMed series of insulin pumps and the Guardian continual glucose monitoring system. The company is also working on new, connected tech that couples these systems together. 

Given the direct reference to InPen in Medtronic's campaign, this goes beyond just an awareness campaign and into a fully branded promotion of the tech. There are pictures of Stone with the pen on Medtronic’s site, though the tech company did not say whether there will be accompanying DTC ads.

There was a video on Medtronic’s official Facebook page of Stone talking about the new campaign, though it has now been taken down.

“We’re excited to partner with Jennifer Stone to broaden awareness around the power of diabetes technology and the important role it can play in their life,” said Que Dallara, executive vice president and president of Medtronic Diabetes, in the release.

As part of the InPen campaign, Medtronic is also tapping non-celebrity patients who use the device, including Mattie, mom of two, living with Type 1 diabetes and Laishia, also living with Type 1 diabetes, who gives glowing praise about InPen on its official product site.