The Situation
An estimated 6,670 Filipino women are diagnosed with cervical cancer every year. The disease is one of the most preventable forms of cancer, but most Filipinos didn’t know it was caused by HPV, a sexually transmitted infection. Casual conversations with patients at the campaign’s start revealed a common assumption that cervical cancer was genetic. MSD‘s Gardasil, an FDA and BFAD-approved HPV vaccine, had almost no public awareness.
Two barriers made this harder than a typical awareness campaign. First, STDs are a sensitive subject in a devoutly Catholic society. Public health advocates had struggled for years to make HPV relevant without tripping cultural resistance. Second, the competing vaccine brand had TV spots on major networks and celebrity endorsements. Gardasil was entering a conversation it hadn’t started, against an opponent that was already everywhere.
The Approach
Phase 1: Provocative Media Seeding
Seeded the media with articles designed to break through cultural avoidance of sexual health topics. Headlines like “Too Much Sex in the City” were crafted to pique interest in a society that typically avoids discussing STDs. The approach addressed the sexual dimension of HPV directly rather than dancing around it, making the coverage feel urgent and relevant rather than clinical.
Phase 2: Male Ambassador for an Inclusive Campaign
Partnered with Chris Tiu as the campaign ambassador. Because men play a role in HPV transmission, the campaign needed a male voice that both men and women respected. Tiu’s involvement reframed HPV prevention as a shared responsibility rather than a women-only health issue, broadening the campaign’s relevance and reach.
Phase 3: DOH Partnership for National Credibility
Brought in the Department of Health as a partner to elevate the conversation from a pharmaceutical campaign to a national health discussion. The DOH partnership gave the coverage institutional credibility and extended the campaign’s reach to both key cities and far-flung provinces, ensuring the message went beyond Metro Manila.
The Results
- PHP 82.6M Earned media value generated across a two-year campaign
- 4x Return on the budget provided, from earned coverage alone
- 6,670 Filipino women diagnosed with cervical cancer annually, the crisis the campaign addressed
Campaign Highlights:
- Major newspapers and TV stations picked up HPV stories, making the disease nationally relevant for the first time
- Chris Tiu as ambassador reframed HPV prevention as a shared male and female responsibility
- DOH partnership elevated the campaign from pharmaceutical promotion to national health advocacy
- Provocative headline strategy broke through cultural resistance to discussing sexually transmitted infections
- Campaign sparked public conversations about HPV and increased vaccination inquiries to doctors
The Takeaway
You can’t build awareness for a taboo health topic by being polite about it. Gardasil generated PHP 82.6 million in earned media because the campaign treated HPV as a national health story worth confronting, not a sensitive subject worth tiptoeing around. The competitor had celebrity ads. Gardasil had headlines that people actually read.
- Industry: Healthcare
- Service: PR & Digital Campaigns
- Solution: For International Brands Entering PH
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you run a health awareness campaign around a taboo topic in a conservative market?
By confronting the taboo directly rather than avoiding it. Headlines like “Too Much Sex in the City” worked because they acknowledged the sensitivity while making the topic impossible to ignore. In a market that avoids discussing STDs, the campaign that names the issue gets the coverage.
Why use a male ambassador for a cervical cancer prevention campaign?
Because HPV is transmitted sexually, and framing it as a women-only issue limits both the audience and the impact. Chris Tiu gave the campaign a male voice that men respected and women admired. His involvement made HPV prevention a conversation that couples could have together, which is where vaccination decisions actually happen.
How did this campaign compete against a brand with celebrity TV endorsements?
By choosing earned media over advertising. Gardasil couldn’t outspend the competitor’s TV budget. Instead, it generated PHP 82.6 million in earned media value through provocative editorial coverage and a DOH partnership that made the campaign feel like national health news rather than a pharmaceutical ad.
What role does a government health partnership play in a vaccine awareness campaign?
It transfers credibility from the pharmaceutical company to the public health system. Filipino consumers are more likely to trust a message endorsed by DOH than one that comes from a drug company alone. The partnership also extended the campaign’s reach to provinces that pharmaceutical marketing typically doesn’t cover.
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