Emla - Travel Vaccination Campaign
Customer
Aspen Netherlands
Our role
Strategy
Concept
Design
Video
Online marketing
Deliverables
Campaign branding
Campaign video
Landing page
Social media content
Paid advertisements
Date
Q1 & Q2 2025
Travel on, worry-free.
After Emla' s successful flu shot campaign, Aspen Netherlands asked us to think along again. This time with a different approach: the travel vaccination. A shot you don't necessarily have to get, but often wise. Only ... Many people are reluctant to take the shot.
The Emla plaster numbs the skin and soothes the prick feeling. No focus on fear or procrastination, but on the comfort the plaster provides. For us, the starting point of a campaign that revolves around convenience, peace of mind and anticipation. No explanations needed, just be well prepared on the road.
The challenge
How do you create a campaign for people who feel tension at pricking without explicitly zooming in on it? By not naming the problem, but putting the desire at the center. Our target audience is busy planning, booking and packing. Not with needles or medical details. As soon as you magnify the lancing moment, it becomes bigger than necessary.
Our challenge was in reversing the communication. How do we make the use of Emla obvious, without presenting it as a solution to something boring? We wanted to exude calmness without explanation, and inspire confidence without a medical context. Light, positive and recognizable.
The strategy
We decided to focus not on the prick or the preparation, but on what comes next. Not the needle or the band-aid, but the view, the journey, the destination. Think of a safari, snorkeling underwater or a relaxing glance toward the horizon. The Emla plaster became a logical, comfortable intermediate step that you hardly notice, but which ensures that you leave without worry.
The campaign was given an accessible tone of voice, with light copy and recognizable situations. The well-known sloganPlakken, Prikken, Klaar" was subtly woven in, without making it the main message. After all, this was not about the band-aid itself, but about what it makes possible: traveling further, without worries.
From idea to departure
Based on this strategy, we developed a disease awareness campaign that revolved around comfort. The landing page brought it all together: what Emla is, how it works and why you use it with a travel vaccination. Short, visual and to the point.
The funnel toward this page was built from multiple assets. For example, we launched a YouTube that was used as a paid advertisement. No voice-over, but a clear story. Through images, rhythm and atmosphere, we gave viewers a sense of grip and preparation. Comfort was also central in the Google display banner gifs and organic social content.
And as a clever nod to previous campaigns, at the end of the video you can hear the recognizable tune from the flu shot campaign. A piece of sonic branding that musically connects Emla's story.
Let's work together on your future. Contact.
Who we wanted to hit
This campaign targeted women between the ages of 20 and 40. Travel enthusiasts, independent and already in full action mode. The tickets are booked, the packing list is ready, and somewhere on the to-do is still that one prick. A moment that can imperceptibly lead to procrastination.
For this audience, we wanted to present Emla not as a medical device, but as something normal. Just like your sunburn or world plug. A small action that provides peace of mind and control. No explanations, no medical jargon. Just that feeling: this is taken care of, I can go.
Curious? Check out the landing page here.
A little sparring?
Strategy Director and co-founder
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