Advertising award shows are a time to celebrate hard work and the unique people who choose advertising as a career. In fall 2023, AbelsonTaylor Group partnered with Medical Marketing & Media (MM+M) to build excitement for the annual MM+M Awards show and honor some of the special archetypes in the industry.
The “Stay Special” campaign’s goal was to showcase AT Group’s top-notch creative spirit with a social media campaign, making viewers feel seen and appreciated – while subtly giving potential clients and talent a glimpse into AT Group’s fun and imaginative culture. Ultimately, the campaign aimed to promote AT Group as a great place to work and do business.
The campaign engaged and entertained its target audience of medical marketing professionals by highlighting various personalities in the industry who are serious about their work – but showing them in a not-so-serious way. Followers were encouraged to come back daily during the week leading up to the awards show to meet (and laugh at!) a new personality who likely reminded them of themselves or someone they know.
To spur engagement, followers were invited to leave comments and tag each other to win a bottle of champagne for their agency at the awards show.
AT Group team members looked at themselves and each other for inspiration for the campaign’s characters. They inventoried the special traits that make people in advertising great at their jobs – like tenacity, diplomacy, persuasion, insightfulness and flamboyance -- then imagined themselves in other roles that celebrate these qualities and quirks. From these musings came the campaign’s characters, including the Referee account director skilled at negotiating peace between the client and creative director; the pharmalingual Doctor Whisperer copywriter who speaks science and medicine fluently; the media maven Realtor who knows all the best places and how much you should pay for them; and the Magician engagement strategist who wows audiences with magnificent impressions.
To make the Stay Special characters even more vibrant and interesting, they were given an ‘80s vibe with bright colors, big hair, and excessive accessories. The campaign included ethnically and culturally diverse models representing the industry’s commitment to continuing to diversify its workforce. In any attempt at humor, especially based on caricatures, there is the risk of offending someone. The team’s challenge was inventing clever characters that would make our audience laugh but not hurt feelings or come across as insensitive. AT Group’s DEI director was consulted throughout the process and approved the renderings of the campaign to ensure we didn’t cross that line.
The campaign was intentionally subtle rather than slapstick, making the depictions recognizable and relatable without hitting the viewer over the head with sight gags. The satire was a nod to the intelligence of our audience – a show of respect and appreciation that they would “get the joke” without overt explanation. Not ironically, this is the same kind of “reading the audience” that a good pharma marketer must master.
Despite the characters being amusing, beneath the hairspray and Lycra is the clear message that these professionals are outstanding at their craft. They accomplish their objectives competently and effectively and are the types of pros you want on your team. These characters, illustrated as archetypes, are us – the people at AbelsonTaylor Group -- and the message conveyed is that we are the kind of experts and authorities who will guide you to success.
The Stay Special art captures attention because it is notably different and unexpected in the world of pharma advertising. Creative work is often more conservative and restrained in the highly regulated medical marketing industry. The Stay Special campaign was an opportunity to color outside the lines, showcase exciting creativity, and give members of the industry the chance to laugh at ourselves. In a sea of ordinary posts, it was designed to delight and attract the attention of scrollers. The prompts to comment and tag co-workers further drove viewers to interact with the campaign.
The result was a welcome and refreshing scroll-stopping initiative that led viewers to appreciate the talents, effective messaging, and fun that AT Group could bring to them as a client or employee.
The archetypes of the Stay Special campaign rang true with a whopping 12,152 impressions on LinkedIn and a 340% increase in engagement from MM+M’s previous award show agency partnership. LinkedIn was the primary focus of the campaign as it is the platform that best reaches our target audience of potential clients and job seekers.
Followers left more than 220 reactions and comments, driving more viewers to the posts, resulting in 455 clicks on the AbelsonTaylor Group website and careers page.
The campaign was a resounding success in multiple ways. It showcased AT Group’s creative chops to potential clients seeking an agency that can deliver out-of-the-box concepts and is enjoyable to work with. It attracted employment candidates seeking an agency where they can work with like-minded talent, and it affirmed AT Group’s role as a promotional partner of the MM+M Awards by exceeding expectations with organizers, more than tripling results compared to past campaigns.
