Situation: Pfizer has a long history of scientific breakthroughs across the past 175 years, including the Covid-19 vaccine, but science and vaccines are polarizing topics. Cynicism about big pharma is at an all-time, high with 60% of Americans distrusting “Big Pharma,” according to the National Institute of Health.

The brief: Celebrate 175 years of Pfizer scientific breakthroughs and elevate positive perception of Pfizer as a brand.

The insight: Of the 60% of Americans that distrust “Big Pharma,” 37% fall into the “Movable Middle,” people supportive of science but skeptical of “Big Pharma” - people whose opinions can be changed. (Source: Epsilon People Cloud)

Our objective: Move the “Movable Middle,” highlight 175 years of science, and increase positive perception of Pfizer.

To move the “Movable Middle” - the 37% of Americans who are supportive of science but skeptical of “Big Pharma” - we needed a moment as big as our challenge. Inspiration came from the fact that experiences are amplified, and opinions are more easily changed, when moments are shared together – known as emotional synchrony.

To get the “Movable Middle" to change their perception of Pfizer, we set our sights on the last bastion of cultural unity in America - The Super Bowl.

It’s an event that delivers scale, reaching the largest TV audience in the US (Nielsen measured 200M people in shared viewing in 2024), with strong resonance within our target audience. It was the perfect format to showcase our legacy of science and move the Movable Middle when they would be receptive to our message in a shared viewing experience.

But how do you tap into the most ubiquitous big stage for alcohol and CPG advertising and do it in a way that’s never been done before to celebrate science? And how do you use a single :60 spot to create something that lives beyond one football game?

Our strategy: Create 175MM minutes of media engagement, in a one-week period, to highlight Pfizer’s 175-years of scientific breakthroughs, and move the “Movable Middle.”

Using the Super Bowl as our kickoff, we tapped into shared experiences to create 175 million media minutes of perception-changing magic. In cinema, travel, morning commutes, and early-morning water-cooler banter, we built a plan grounded in everyday shared experiences - experiences that would not have been possible during the pandemic without Pfizer’s scientific breakthrough.

Put simply, if it wasn’t a media moment that brought the “Movable Middle” together in a collective shared experience, it didn’t make the plan.

175MM minutes of togetherness included 2.7B impressions over 1-week with highlights across the entire ecosystem.

Pre-game: prime for the moment, together

- Created first-ever pharma YouTube ad blitz (to drive awareness)

- Launched Let's Outdo Cancer website, Pfizer.com takeover, and social storytelling

Game day: celebrate 175 years together

- :60 Super Bowl spot in peak of the highest-watched quarter (CBS and Univision)

- Paid OLV, social, digital - 140MM+ cross channel views

- Patient Influencers ignited cultural relevancy - 1.6MM+ video views

Post-game: continue the conversations, together

- Morning TV and local radio

- Takeovers in high-traffic moments of unification in digital-out-of-home in airports in San Francisco, Kansas City, Las Vegas (Super Bowl teams and host city)

- Cinema domination in major US cities, in spot before feature film

By surrounding people with Pfizer’s messaging during shared experiences, we proved the power of science and elevated perception of Pfizer.

We delivered 382,158,424 minutes of togetherness (2X+ goal!), increased positive perception of Pfizer, and moved the Moveable Middle. We outperformed all goals:

Moveable Middle Positive Perception and Trust

Of 2,000 brands, Pfizer was #1 in positive brand movement in February, all other pharma

brands were flat, and #1 in shifting audience brand perception +19% (YouGov)

Significant lift in key perceptions: Trust +22 points, Industry Leader + 26 points

Additional perception lift: Inspiring +14 points, Dedicated to improving patient lives +8 points,

Visionary +7 points

Improved brand favorability 5.6% and consideration 4.6% - highest gains in category

Engagement

Largest collective media moment since moon landing 200MM+ viewers

7.2B impressions including earned press - NYT, USA Today, CNBC, WSJ, Bloomberg, New

York Post, AdAge, AdWeek

+2,116% increase search volume

2MM+ people visited LetsOutdoCancer.com (2.5X goal, record for any Pfizer website)

4x benchmark scan-rate - FIRST-EVER Super Bowl streaming ad with CTV overlay