UCB is getting back into direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising. After more than a decade out of the game, the drugmaker is using the Oscars to launch the “Get Yourself Back” campaign in support of its psoriasis medicine Bimzelx.
As Brittany Blair, head of patient strategy and solutions, immunology at UCB, explained, the campaign is “a major moment” for both the Bimzelx brand and the company. UCB wanted to “equally match that excitement with broad-reaching and high-profile moments,” hence the unveiling at the 96th Academy Awards on Sunday. The award ceremony is part of an action-packed March for the Bimzelx campaign.
“The timing of the Academy Awards was also a bit serendipitous as we’ll be previewing the campaign with healthcare providers this weekend at the American Academy of Dermatology’s annual meeting. You’ll also see the broadcast spot throughout March Madness. These ‘tent pole’ events in March offer a perfect opportunity to launch Bimzelx to patients,” Blair said.
UCB has created two TV spots, a 30-second ad and an extended 60-second video, for the campaign. The 30-second ad starts with a man, standing on an outdoor sports court wearing a vest, talking directly into the camera.
“I was born with a fire inside but psoriasis dosed my flame,” the man says. That changed when the man “got clear skin with Bimzelx,” a drug that, the ad explains, fully cleared psoriasis in most people in a trial. The rest of the ad shows the man happily playing American handball with a friend and ends with him saying “start to get yourself back, with Bimzelx.”
The 60-second TV spot adds other characters, including a woman who kicks off the ad with the line “I was born with wings but psoriasis swooped in to clip them.” The skin condition “crushed” the woman’s confidence. Taking Bimzelx gave the people “back the freedom of shorts” and allowed them to “dare to wear black again, from head to toe.” The messaging grew out of interactions with psoriasis patients.
“There is a major emotional and mental toll that takes away from everyday life moments. This campaign isn’t about scaling a mountain. It’s about shedding light that those living with psoriasis can start to get themselves back, starting with little moments like feeling empowered to wear shorts or that little black dress, without the worry of psoriasis,” Blair said.
UCB will be hitting those messages again and again in the coming months. The events lined up for March are “just the beginning for this integrated DTC campaign,” Blair said. UCB is running the campaign across TV, online video, digital, social media and the point of care and will add channels over time, with TikTok on the roadmap.