When the lives of millions of Americans are at stake, there’s no better way to reach them than by leveraging the power of the Super Bowl.
Boehringer Ingleheim, a biopharmaceutical company, will air “Mission: SOS” during the third quarter of Super Bowl 60, targeting the half of Americans living with high blood pressure, as well as the 1 in 10 with diabetes.
Created in partnership with dna Communications, it features Octavia Spencer and Sofia Vergara as two futuristic agents of advocacy, briefing each other on the importance of a routine screening called uACR (urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio), which can detect life-threatening conditions like chronic kidney disease or stroke.
The next scene finds Spencer on a helipad, holding a flare as its red smoke forms a heart. Then Spencer and Vergara fly away in a helicopter and Vergara grabs the flight controls, yelling, “I just got my permit!” as Spencer holds on for dear life.
Spencer and Vergara both have a personal interest in the spot’s goal. Spencer has type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, while Vergara’s mother has high blood pressure.
“People may not understand what their kidneys do, let alone that they might be sending an SOS for increased heart risk,” Spencer said in a statement. “When I learned that a simple urine test called a uACR can help detect kidney damage, I got screened right away and I urge others at risk to do the same.”
Vergara added: “Through the journey with my mom, I quickly learned that knowledge is power. Detect The SOS feels so important because it offers the information that those at risk need to advocate for themselves and their loved ones.”
The spot also coincides with Boehringer Ingleheim’s partnership with the Detect The SOS Collective, which includes the American Diabetes Association, National Kidney Foundation, WomenHeart, and The Mended Hearts, Inc. The mission of the collective is to spread awareness for uACR.
Along with Boehringer Ingleheim, fellow pharma giants Novo Nordisk, Novartis, and Eli Lilly are advertising during the Super Bowl this year.
