Driving New Market Launch for Voltaren

For those with osteoarthritis (OA), joint pain can be a daily experience. It can be a pervasive pain that stops patients from doing the things they love. That’s why the nationwide over-the-counter (OTC) launch of Voltaren Arthritis Pain Gel, the first and only prescription-strength nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) topical gel for arthritis pain available OTC in the United States, is truly a moment to celebrate.

As the preferred audio partner for GSK’s national launch of Voltaren, Pandora developed a bespoke strategy to complement the ‘always-on’ nature of OA by reaching listeners in a variety of moments across their day. Pandora’s audio-first creative consultancy, Studio Resonate, led the creative ideation and execution to connect listeners with Voltaren in an innovative and personalized way.

Music and Mindsets

Music has the power to tap into our emotional centers, particularly since the act of listening can be therapeutic and healing. We’re able to reach listeners while they are doing everyday activities through a personalized medium. The 1:1 relationship of mobile streaming audio enables an intimacy and closeness that other platforms don’t provide. Conversational delivery through headphones makes us feel like we’re being told a secret by a trusted source. On connected devices, hearing a message in our home through connected speakers keeps us informed in a time and place of relevance to pain relief.

With such a large audience and wide range of use cases, we created a media plan that featured complimentary ad products to best reach osteoarthritis patients when they need Voltaren most.

A Different Approach To Arthritis

Voltaren is perfect for the active OA patient, so our tone and tempo in the spots is intentionally upbeat and positive. Creating continuity across so many ads was top of mind for the team. Studio Resonate’s dedicated creative team worked across all assets to ensure a consistent tone of voice, further enhanced by having the same voice-over artist across all ads. The sonic identity developed by the brand team was another opportunity to bring consistency and continuity to our spots, and it tied them into the larger campaign, which included:

- Dynamic Audio, where we used real-time data signals (time of day, day of week) to personalize each ad with appropriate recommendations.

- Sponsored Listening, to bring ‘the joy of movement’ to life by having listeners shake their mobile phones in response to the reward-based ad to alleviate the painful nature of clicking on screen.

- Station Generator, which invites listeners to self-select an activity, e.g. gardening or bike riding, and then generates music and messaging based on the activity pace. This level of engagement invites listeners to experience the joy of movement across multiple levels.

Our ‘core campaign’ targeted audiences, across various platforms, including; parents at home (connected home), workout enthusiasts on the go (mobile), car owners (connected car), and Spanish language spots for our Hispanic audiences.

Product Launch Amid a Pandemic

GSK’s launch just happened to coincide with a national health crisis. However, OA does not take a break, and patients still need to know about their options for pain relief. Throughout this time Studio Resonate was able to continue production at full capacity and worked with the brand team to quickly adjust prior messaging that may have been insensitive to the time. Going live, on time, with a multi-touch campaign was a combined effort that demonstrated collaboration and teamwork, both within Pandora and with our client partners.

Credits:

Copywriter: Mia Harlock

Audio Producer: Juan Abel Elias

Project Manager: Ali Charlesworth

Sponsored Listening:

Designer: Evelyn Overall

Developer: Vivian Tang

Station Generator:

Designer & Developer: Manny Trevino