1 in 2 women’s health concerns go unheard. Pain ignored. Concerns disregarded. Symptoms dismissed. This leads to years of no-diagnosis, misdiagnosis, or an unexpected diagnosis that could have been avoided altogether. So Blue Shield of California decided to call out gender bias point blank and ask, what would it take for someone to listen? We crafted a film directed at the healthcare system itself in support of women who feel like they’re not heard when it comes to their health. We wanted people to stop and think: ‘Am I being heard?’ and ‘Am I listening?’

We crafted a campaign directed at the healthcare system itself in support of women who feel like they’re not heard when it comes to their health and asked point blank what it would take for someone to listen. We wanted people to stop and think: ‘Am I being heard?’ and ‘Am I listening?’

We tapped Venus WIlliams, an elite athlete who faced seven years of suffering before being diagnosed with Sjogren’s Syndrome, along with other women to question who or what they needed to become in order to be heard. Did they need to be older? Thinner? Or just not a woman at all? While these questions were rooted in the blatant gender discrimination that does exist, our hope was for anybody of any underrepresented group feel seen, heard and like they're not alone.

Unless we’ve experienced it first hand, most people aren’t aware of the gender discrimination that exists in healthcare. This campaign was directed at the healthcare system itself in support of women who feel like they’re not heard when it comes to their health and asked point blank what it would take for someone to listen. The strategic objective was to prompt people to stop and think: ‘Am I being heard?’ and ‘Am I listening?’

The execution of Hear Me came to life through multiple campaign pieces: an anthem film, individual interviews, OOH, LA Times Partnership. In the :60 spot, led by Venus Williams, an elite athlete who faced seven years of suffering before being diagnosed with Sjogren’s Syndrome, we gave women the opportunity to question the medical industry. Through language like “If I was thinner?” and “If I wasn’t a woman?” the film challenged healthcare itself. The individual interviews shared the stories of three women (including Venus Williams) who faced bias during a medical experience. By creating an anthemic awareness spot and enabling individuals to share their stories, we allowed women, collectively, to finally be heard.

Hear Me aims to spread awareness about the gender bias that exists in healthcare, and ultimately, be an impetus to catalyze change. As a result, the campaign garnered over 180M media impressions, became one of the most-read health care articles according to Health Leaders Media, and was covered by publications like Philadelphia Inquirer, Yahoo, LA Times, Adweek, and Ad Age. But creating deep, systemic change is a slow and steady process. It takes time. It begins with the wide-acknowledgement that something needs to change––or even the realization that such an issue is so prevalent in the first place. The measure of success of this campaign will be determined by both the healthcare system and patients acknowledging this problem and taking steps to take it on.