Excedrin tackles 'adulting,' other headache-inducing moments with special-edition pain relievers

Dive Brief:

Over-the-counter headache medicine Excedrin announced in a press release that it is introducing special-edition versions of its pain reliever: the Commuter Edition, Bad Date Edition and Adulting Edition.
For the effort, Excedrin teamed with food expert Antoni Porowski and fashion designer Tan France, both of the Netflix series "Queer Eye," to share their experiences with headaches and the impact they can have on daily routines. As part of the campaign, the brand is also handing out the Commuter Edition at New York Penn Station during morning commuting hours.
The new versions of the pain reliever are part of the GSK brand's "We See Your Pain" platform that aims to unite headache sufferers and use creative visuals to depict what's often an invisible pain. The company listened to consumers on social media and found that they describe headache pain much more vividly than other types of pain.

Dive Insight:

Excedrin is trying to put a fun spin on what are often painful processes with its special-edition packaging. Themes like bad dates or "adulting" — sometimes stylized as #adulting — are popular among consumers like millennials to describe their struggles with being grown-up. The hashtag for adulting has been mentioned hundreds of thousands of times on social media, highlighting how Excedrin is likely hoping to prop up its products as something for people to share online after purchase.

Partnering with Tan France and Antoni Porowski on the new campaign could help Excedrin further extend its message and engage consumer sets like millennials. The "Queer Eye" revival has been a hit for Netflix, which is frequently the streaming service of choice among younger viewers. Porowski and France are also social media lifestyle influencers with millions of followers. An Instagram photo of the personalities together holding the special-edition packages of Excedrin has garnered nearly 230,000 favorites at press time.

More marketers are embracing diversity in their marketing, and being LGBT-inclusive can resonate. A 2017 study from Ogilvy found that 64% of LGBT allies and 46% of all Americans said inclusivity in advertising would make them more likely to purchase products and services from a brand.

Excedrin has been focusing its marketing on raising awareness about unique headache causes and illustrating what that pain can look like through visuals. Its 360-degree migraine experience released last year helped the company boost sales and engagement, leading Excedrin to expand the campaign to social media and other digital content.