Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards - 2024

Campaign: The Last Barf Bag
Agency/Firm: FCB Chicago
Client: Prestige Consumer Healthcare (Dramamine)

Dramamine, Prestige Consumer Healthcare’s over-the-counter brand, is the self-described choice of nausea-prevention medication for amusement park enthusiasts as well as travelers who find their way by land, air and water.

Dramamine, which for for 75 years has challenged the onset of motion sickness, decided to jokingly take credit for the declining need for air sickness bags as a testament to the brand’s effectiveness. The result is “The Last Barf Bag” campaign, created by Interpublic Group of Cos. agency FCB Chicago, which included a documentary-style short film, museum exhibit and website.

The film centers on the history of the brand and the idea that it was possibly phasing out the air sickness bag industry, confirmed by conversations with a community of air sickness bag collectors. The campaign earned gold for Branded Entertainment/Content Campaign of the Year among suppliers/vendors/pharmaceutical companies.

Since the campaign’s April launch, “The Last Barf Bag” has earned more than 2 billion impressions on social media, and brand engagement is up by 23%, according to FCB.

The documentary found success on the awards circuit, receiving accolades at the 2024 Tribeca Festival along with winning seven Lions at this year’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity — including a Grand Prix. Airlines have also shown interest in the film as an in-flight entertainment option, the agency said.