AUCKLAND, Today: Empathy takes the spotlight in Unichem and Life Pharmacy’s latest campaign, Make Your Problems Our Problem, highlighting the real, human care their pharmacists show customers every single day.
Locally owned and built on personal connection, the brands have long stood out for expert advice delivered with warmth, understanding, and genuinely helpful in-store teams.
Even as global big-box chains crowd the category, they keep separating themselves by slowing down, listening properly, and actually caring about the people walking through their doors.
Following Life Pharmacy’s Cannes Lions and Effie Award–winning Awkboards, this new platform continues the mission of tackling healthcare with humanity, humour, and a creative twist.
The work spotlights everyday empathy, especially during summer when allergies, minor injuries, and irritating ailments tend to strike while people are away from home.
The brief was simple: remind Kiwis these teams don’t just give advice, they take real ownership of customers’ wellbeing, using humour and heart to reinforce their trusted, people-first reputation.
“By visually dramatising that idea, we were able to show just how deeply Unichem and Life Pharmacy’s people care (in a way that’s completely stupid, of course).” – Alan Jones and Angelo An, Creative Directors at McCann NZ
Edwina Neilson, Marketing General Manager at Green Cross Health says, “We’ve always been about putting people first. This campaign reflects the care our pharmacists show every day – taking the time to listen, understand and genuinely help, no matter how uncomfortable or strange the issue might be.”
Creative Directors at McCann NZ, Alan Jones and Angelo An, say the idea pushed empathy beyond buzzword territory, “Empathy is one of the most powerful tools a pharmacist has.
“By visually dramatising that idea, we were able to show just how deeply Unichem and Life Pharmacy’s people care (in a way that’s completely stupid, of course).”
The concept plays out literally across print, outdoor, and display, with pharmacists appearing to share the exact same symptoms as customers, from broken arms to allergies and morning sickness.
Data fuelled a smart ‘burns, bites and bumps’ system using sales trends, local events, and pollen and UV forecasts to trigger tailored regional reminders tied to weather and location.
Radio extends the gag, featuring a Life pharmacist rapidly listing customer conditions like they’re suffering every single one personally.
CREDITS
Client: Green Cross Health
Agency: McCann NZ, previously FCB Aotearoa
Media: FCB Media
Head client: Edwina Neilson
Retail Marketing Manager: Jenna Cook
Creative Director: Alan Jones, Angelo An
Art Director: Willow Whitham
Copywriter: Zac Riddell
Photographer: Mike Braid
Producer: Elizabeth Roebuck
Head of Creative Technology: James McMullan
Account Director: Jasmine Lawrence
Design: Rob Flynn, Maria Bush
Retoucher: Alex Reznick
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