Situation:

Theraflu champions a flu safe world. But this is impossible if people continue to work sick.

Brief:

Unfortunately for many Americans, including a disproportionate number of Black and Latina women, the simple act of staying home when sick is complicated. Barriers like lack of paid sick days keep them from taking the time off they need to get better.

Objectives:

To help more Americans access rest, and offset the cost of taking a sick day.

Create a microgrant program to help reimburse the wages of 1,000 unpaid sick days this cold and flu season.

To help more Americans access rest, and offset the cost of taking a sick day, Theraflu created the Right to Rest Fund; a microgrant program to help reimburse the wages of 1,000 unpaid sick days this cold and flu season.

To drive awareness of the Right to Rest Fund and Theraflu’s position that sick days should be a right, not a benefit, we penned an original spoken word poem that celebrates the strength and tenacity of those Americans forced to power through workdays while sick and calls for societal change. Because sick days shouldn’t just be for those who can afford it.

Campaign earned efforts focused on social media influencer partnerships and pitch outreach to secure media coverage.

Earned media coverage primarily focused on sharing the findings from the Theraflu Temperature Check – owned research polling 2,000 employed Americans (conducted by OnePoll) that revealed Black and Latina women were 10% more likely than white women to say they avoid taking sick days for fear of being reprimanded by a boss. In addition, general, multicultural and trade reporters were offered interviews with GSK Respiratory Marketing Lead, Sameer Rabbani, and a third-party advocate for rest and recovery time, Dr. Jessica Shepherd.

To further raise awareness on social media, Theraflu tapped influencers of three archetypes: the millennial mom, doting caregiver and boss businesswoman, who created 30+ pieces of content. Content was shared organically with the influencers’ followers and promoted with paid, alongside the campaign’s hero film.

To help more Americans access rest, and offset the cost of taking a sick day, Theraflu partnered with the Good+Foundation, a leading nonprofit in distributing goods and funds to American families in need, to create the Right to Rest Fund. This is a microgrant program to help reimburse the wages of 1,000 unpaid sick days this cold and flu season.

To drive awareness of the Fund and Theraflu’s position that sick days should be a right, not a benefit, we partnered with Suzen Baraka – an Emmy Award winning poet, writer and activist who penned an original spoken word poem reflective of her lived experiences as a Black and Korean Woman. Some Heroes celebrates the strength and tenacity of those Americans forced to power through workdays while sick and calls for societal change.

Campaign earned media coverage overdelivered on volume and quality goals (+265% placements and +115% potential earned impressions above benchmark, with 100% message pull through).

We saw over 700k impressions, 500 media placements and +47% brand affinity.

In addition, and more importantly, over 1000 sick days were covered during the Fall/Winter 2021/2022 cold and flu season, so that Black and Latina women in the US could get the rest they deserved.