Patricia Corsi

Your bio says that it’s important to connect with the beating hearts of the people you're trying to help and reach. How do you put this into practice at Bayer? 
‘The health industry has not been known for being creative or for connecting to people. When people talk about health products' advertising, they talk about those endless regulatory messages at the end. They never talk about how great it is, how it changes our behaviour, how we’re going to get healthier, or how it can help others. Being close to the beating hearts of people is trying to understand what they need and how can we help them in their daily routines, versus just applying corny formulas. We shouldn’t think that everyone listens just because we talk about health. That is not the reality.’

Have companies like yours been blinding customers with science, instead of speaking to them on an emotional level?
‘The intention was not to blind them but to reassure them through science, to show people that brilliant minds have really researched this. The recently launched Edelman Trust Barometer shows that doctors and scientists are among the most trusted people. There is a reason for that. But the language they speak sometimes doesn't connect with what people understand. Marketing can change behaviour but only if you connect in a way that people really understand what it means for them. Bayer's motto is: science for a better life.’

So, the old healthcare marketing, with a focus on rational argumentation, is not working anymore? 
‘I challenge if it ever worked. Within the top 10 industries globally, health ranks number eight in creativity. Then think about the penetration and distribution of products that can help improve people’s health, especially now that we’re dealing with Covid. People should think about boosting their immunity every day, the same way they think about having breakfast. But it doesn't work like that. I don't think that healthcare marketing was ever very compelling. This is a fantastic moment for us to change that.’

How are you shaping this strategy at Bayer? 
‘Firstly, we are moving from what scientists are telling us to what consumers understand. Sometimes this is an industry driven by claims. Scientifically this makes a lot of sense but the consumer doesn't understand what it means. In detergents you can say that a product cleans 30 percent better than the competitor. But this doesn’t work for health; you don't get 30 percent less fever than with another product. Secondly, we need to engage people to improve their lives. For instance, in Brazil 30 percent of women are ashamed of mentioning the word vagina to a doctor. But you simply can’t say that you have a problem in your boo-boo. So we partnered with TikTok and with a lot of women that could help deliver the communication in a relatable way. For this, we first needed to decensor the word ‘vagina' on TikTok. It's ridiculous, but in some countries it still is a banned word. We then started an educational program called Vagina Academy, which included a Vagina Bus that would go up to the favelas. In the end, you can have a leader product but it doesn’t help consumers if they are too embarrassed to buy it. Solving this problem is very rewarding. We are now top performers on TikTok. It's a global case with benchmarks and we’re taking it to many other countries in order to help many more women.’

Did it actually change women’s behaviour? 
‘Yeah, in one country we created a bot and women are now asking their questions without being afraid of what people will think of them. This can direct them either to a pharmacy or to a doctor, depending on their problem.’

In health industry you’re probably dealing with lawyers quite a lot, telling you what you can and can't say. Do lawyers kill creativity? 
‘No, the best lawyers and regulators act as partners. They don't tell you: don't do that. They tell you what happens if you do do that. And sometimes the answer is: you’ll go to jail. So, they are not treating me like an imbecile. But I think marketing works really well within constraints. And that’s a good thing.’

You're a strong supporter of diversity and inclusion and you’re part of the Unstereotype Alliance. Should inclusion be the starting point of each creative process?
‘Yes, if it's an afterthought then it's not genuine. You must have people that will be identified with those they are representing. This is part of the intrinsic briefing. Diversity is something that is very easy to speak of, but not that easy to do. Being part of the Unstereotype Alliance is a serious thing for me. One of the questions I asked the team was: how do you portray sexual preference in a way that is not biased? Whatever you do in terms of the visual representation of that can be very stereotypical. For example, all gay men you see are married. And they all seem to have adopted children. It’s as if single gay people don’t exist.’

How important are the Effie Awards and Cannes Lions to you?
‘They both have a very important role to play. This industry is in the middle of a great breaking point. Most people are talking about marketing as something that does bad things. I see Effies and Cannes as opportunities for all of us to look at what's best out there and to inspire ourselves to be better. We need more people in marketing to look at the awards as inspiration, not just as trophies. These events should be less about glamour and more about the work.’

Which campaigns have inspired you in terms of creativity?
‘I love Dumb Ways to Die, the Australian campaign for Metro Train safety. It demonstrates how to get a very simple message across in a lasting way. I also love The Tampon Book, because of how cleverly it addresses the unfair taxation on tampons. It won a lot of awards. In the jury of Cannes, last year, we awarded a couple of medals to Steal Our Staff. It's a fantastic campaign that shows how you don't need to be a big company to do what's right. And finally I’d like to mention WeThe15, which raises attention for the 15 per cent of the global population that live with a disability.’