In 2019, before Covid 19 was part of all our lives, Pfizer knew that if it wanted to fulfil its purpose of delivering breakthroughs that change patients’ lives it had to directly address its big pharma reputation.

They knew this would require big and bold changes so they sold off their substantial consumer healthcare portfolio so that they could focus their energy on being a global leader in innovative medicines and vaccines that prevent and cure diseases in addition to treat them.

And, in early 2020 Pfizer needed an equally bold corporate campaign that would provide the evidence of change needed to put its big pharma past in the past.

We elevated the scientists and celebrated the work they were doing, we were emphatic about the facts and the history and made an undeniable argument that in the end the only truth we can all trust is that … SCIENCE WILL WIN

For generations it was scientific breakthroughs that have saved us. And for almost 175 years, Pfizer scientists had been right at the front of these battles, doing the hard work, finding the breakthroughs and developing treatments, and this was not going to change.

In early 2020, as uncertainty ruled, and the everyday was overrun by “alternate facts” and the objectivity of “science” was being openly questioned it was clear that to change the way the world viewed Pfizer we had change the way the world viewed science.

This would mean taking the negative force head on and confronting it with the truth. “Science” is our only universal weapon in the fight against disease and it should be supported.

As the global pandemic took hold, we introduced Pfizer’s commitment to rely on the hard work of science to cure disease through an initial 6-week effort on TV, PR, print, digital, and social. This was extended to include OOH (including the windows of Pfizer’s high profile, 42nd Street NYC location) in the fall.

We did not use Pfizer’s Covid vaccine development as evidence because it was still in trials and being seen to take advantage of the pandemic would have furthered the big pharma perceptions we were trying to break. This idea had to be big enough to live without it and exist when Covid 19 was just a memory.

The campaign was extended in 2021 with the launch of an online video that continued to celebrate the scientists who are dedicated to pursuit of treatments that save and extend lives.

The idea that SCIENCE WILL WIN was an immediate hit. After 6 weeks across April-May 2020, the work dramatically and positively impacted Pfizer’s brand favorability. And, as an added value, even though we did not mention the COVID vaccine in the work, for those that saw our communications in the general population, there was a +33 point lift in Pfizer’s Covid job approval.

Over the year, SCIENCE WILL WIN entered the vernacular and the anti-science conversation returned to pre-covid levels. With increased usage of #SWW in 2020, peaking with candidate Biden’s tweet in November, we saw a decrease in the ratio of science versus anti-science posts by 33%.

Finally, YouGov named it one of the top 5 most effective US campaigns in 2020 with a 66% increase in awareness.