You may recognize their names, but what they’re up to may surprise you. Meet three extraordinary superstars who are breaking new ground in health and wellness. In Part 1, we featured Halle Berry. Part 2 had Tiffany Haddish. In Part 3, we look at Patricia Corsi.
What do the phrases “Just Do It,” “Because you’re worth it” and “I’m lovin’ it” have in common? They were all created by innovative marketing teams. You may never know their names, but you’ll never forget the impact they made.
With 14 Cannes Lions awards under her belt, Bayer’s Chief Marketing, Digital and Information Officer and cross-cultural global citizen Patricia Corsi is one such innovator.
Corsi and her team are behind many award-winning creative public health campaigns that boldly question taboos and get real about tackling the root causes of global health challenges.
Two campaigns stand out: Vagina Academy and the DiversiTree Project.
DID YOU SAY VAGINA?
The first, Vagina Academy, partnered with consumer health brand Canesten and TikTok to challenge taboos and misinformation around vaginal health in Brazil. TikTok influencers, armed with scientifically accurate information, made entertaining and shame-free educational videos to engage women of all ages in a conversation about their vaginas.
Why? Because if women are ashamed to even say the word vagina, they’re less likely to seek medical treatment when there’s a problem. This problem is amplified by Brazil’s current conservative government’s stance to back abstinence-only rather than safe sex education.
The Vagina Academy campaign was such a huge success that it was reborn in the UK as The Truth, Undressed, which won the 2023 Clio Health Gold Medal.
“These are the moments that you feel excited to be doing this job,” Corsi says. “And if you’re not feeling courageous enough to put your job on the line for something [you believe in], maybe you’re not really doing what you [set out to do]. I haven’t found more fulfillment and pleasure in my life than by serving a mission that helps the people that I love and the causes I believe in. I believe there is a place for [making a difference] in business.”
If you’re not feeling courageous enough to put your job on the line for something [you believe in], maybe you’re not really doing what you [set out to do].
BRING ON THE FEMINIST ARBORISTS!
The second, the Diversitree Project, brought together Bayer brand Claritin and marketing agency BBDO to reveal the surprising culprit behind our rampant seasonal allergies — male trees.
As it turns out, since 1949 the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has been recommending city planners to plant only male trees to reduce the amount of seeds and fruit that have to be cleaned up.
The problem is that male trees are the ones that release pollen. Female trees, on the other hand, absorb it.
The result? Pollen counts are out of control and we’re all sneezing our heads off. The issue is compounded by our warming planet — with pollen counts expected to increase by 200% by the end of the century.
The solution is simple: plant more female trees.
By addressing the very literal gender gap between male and female trees, we can naturally reduce the levels of tree pollen in the air, which reduces seasonal allergy symptoms.
Feminist arborists are having a moment.
REWRITING THE NARRATIVE
Halle Berry along with Tiffany Haddish and Patricia Corsi are not only well-known superstars in their fields but are shaking up the status quo. They’re rewriting the narratives of aging, community nourishment and public health with passion and purpose.
As they continue to inspire and make a lasting impact, they remind us that true greatness lies in using one’s platform to uplift and transform the world for the better.