Pain is a universal part of the human experience, yet the painful truth is that we live in a society that doesn’t believe Black people in pain.
For centuries, Black bodies have been exploited based on false beliefs that Black people feel less pain. These falsehoods have been ingrained into our healthcare system, creating a cycle of medical racism and pain bias that has a dire impact on Black people.
Simply put, in many ways, the American healthcare system has failed Black patients in pain.
As a leading over-the-counter pain reliever, Advil is uniquely positioned to help bring mass awareness to this issue, to elevate individuals and organizations working to address it, and to help bring solutions to the wider community.
Advil has committed to driving awareness, empathy, and urgency around the issue of pain inequity and pain bias through The Advil Pain Equity Project, created by Advil and launched in partnership with Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) and BLKHLTH.
The Advil Pain Equity Project's inaugural storytelling campaign, ‘Believe My Pain’, aims to educate and drive awareness of pain inequity and systemic bias in Black communities.
We defined the following goals to reach the right audiences with the right actions:
The Advil Pain Equity Project is a long-term commitment to championing equitable and accessible pain relief, created by Advil and launched in partnership with Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) and BLKHLTH.
Through research, education, and collaboration, this work is illuminating the long-standing history of systemic pain bias, rewriting the way pain is learned in medical schools across America, helping current HCPs unlearn bias and address inequities in their practice, and empowering patients to advocate for themselves.
We created supportive content: Advil partnered with iOne Digital to develop a video series featuring HCPs discussing reproduction and mental health issues within the Black community. During Pain Awareness Month, we also launched a 360-degree campaign around the ‘Believe My Pain’ platform across social, digital, influencer, OOH, events, and earned media which illuminated the issue.
The Advil Pain Equity Project’s ‘Believe My Pain’ campaign met immediate earned media success at launch, with over 37 placements (garnering 565M+ impressions) featuring interviews with campaign spokespeople Elaine Welteroth, Dr. Uché Blackstock, and patients, as well as Advil’s data and information about the commitment, and more. Most importantly, the campaign has inspired action within the community – Advil has built a trusted group of HCPs, experts, advisors, educators, and influencers who are partnering with the brand to build The Advil Pain Equity Course for aspiring healthcare professionals that aims to end systemic racial bias in the medical system, launching at the Morehouse School of Medicine this fall, with plans to expand in 2025 and beyond.
Key Results to Date:
Illuminating the problem of pain bias:
Empowering Black patients:
Changing healthcare professionals' approach:
Establishing Trust:
