Elmwood Tackles The Taboo

Preparation H Leverages Humor

Hemorrhoid treatment brand Preparation H has unveiled a new brand expression developed by global design consultancy Elmwood. The initiative uses humor to challenge the stigma and embarrassment associated with “butt health.” From the start, the tension facing Preparation H was clear. Most people will experience hemorrhoids at some point, but there’s shame attached to talking about it openly. Elmwood saw an opportunity to tackle the taboo head-on by leveraging humor to create a more relatable brand expression.

To capture this, Elmwood created a series of funny and highly-shareable illustrations, animations, and images that would form the basis for Preparation H’s wide brand comms. The copy is packed with colloquialisms rather than cold medical language and uses captions such as “Your butt is behind you no matter what.” The sense of playful confidence is also encapsulated with a quirky, retro typeface.

The new brand expression was unveiled on Preparation H’s social media channels and on a microsite, built by ad agency Grey Group and featuring Elmwood’s content, that will allows customers to create personalized Valentine’s Day cards for their loved ones. “Preparation H has a unique place in the market,” says Krista Oraa, Elmwood  Creative Director. “We knew there was an opportunity to enhance this by creating a brand expression that is built on humor to challenge the stigma associated with this area of health. With the new assets we created, Preparation H now has a reinvigorated brand that builds awareness across a broader demographic and signals change to the consumer.”

Preparation H is part of GSK Consumer Healthcare.