Nurofen Highlights the Realities of Women’s Pain Dismissals with ‘Pain Game'

Nurofen have launched a thought-provoking pain game campaign that exposes the harsh reality of women's pain dismissals for what they are: a losing game.

Delivered in partnership with McCann London, the campaign builds on Nurofen's Grand Effie-winning 'See My Pain' platform to bring the experience of women’s repeated pain dismissals to life.

The campaign centres around a real-life board game featuring the dismissals women hear: 'It's all in your head.' 'You're just stressed.' 'You’re being emotional.' The setbacks in the game symbolise how accessing a pain diagnosis can feel like battling an unfair, rigged system. The campaign also builds on insights from Nurofen’s Gender Pain Gap report that found: 1 in 2 women felt their pain was dismissed or ignored due to their gender. These gendered pain dismissals delay diagnoses and leave women feeling like they’re playing a losing game.

Nikki Hayward, category director at Nurofen, said, "Women shouldn't have to fight to be believed about their own bodies. ‘See My Pain’ exists to make the invisible visible. But this is much more than a campaign. It’s a commitment to invest in the research and training that will actually close this gap.

That’s why Nurofen is backing the campaign with real action. This new chapter of ‘See My Pain’ reflects the brand’s significant, ongoing investment in systemic change: funding ground breaking new research, gender bias training for medical professionals, tools for women and doctors to improve pain diagnosis.”

McCann’s campaign cast real women living with pain conditions to capture their raw, unfiltered accounts of the healthcare inequities women like them face every day. It calls on healthcare professionals, policymakers, and every organisation that touches women's health, to work together to help end women's pain dismissals.

​Mel Arrow, McCann London CEO, said, “We’re proud to partner with Nurofen on its continued mission to close the gender pain gap, shaking up an otherwise rational category with some much needed empathy and understanding.

The See My Pain platform has already proven to be hugely effective, both societally and commercially, so thank you and huge recognition to Nurofen for the ongoing commitment to it.”

The campaign has launched across TV, digital, social, and retail.