Breaking the silence around erection problems
Pfizer/Upjohn - ‘Time to Raise It’
The challenge
Erection problems are very common in the UK, affecting an estimated five million men, but stigma means many don't talk about it or seek help for years. The Time to Raise It campaign was created to challenge the taboo, close this 'erection gap' and encourage more open conversations between men, their partners and healthcare professionals.
The insight
The barrier wasn't awareness that erection problems exist — it was that men didn't see them as something that happened to people like them, and didn't see seeking help as something people like them did. Shame and silence were self-reinforcing: the less it was talked about, the more isolated men felt, and the longer they waited. The strategic shift was to reframe erection problems as a normal, common, treatable health issue and to bring partners into the conversation, since research showed women were often more ready to address the issue than the men themselves.
What I did
As strategic lead, I shaped the insight and behaviour change strategy behind Time to Raise It from brief through to execution and measurement. This included framing the issue in a way that normalised the experience rather than shaming it, developing the narrative and messaging, and building a movement-style campaign across research, PR, social content and healthcare channels. I worked with partners including the Men's Health Forum and sexual health charity Brook to give the campaign credibility and reach beyond the brand.
The impact
The campaign launched on International Men's Day 2020, bringing a previously hidden issue into mainstream conversation and generating national media coverage across health, consumer and men's interest titles. Partnerships with trusted organisations including LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor extended the campaign's reach into healthcare settings. The research gave the campaign a concrete hook — the 'erection gap' of up to two years between noticing the problem and seeking help — which helped frame erection problems as a public health issue, not just a personal one, and opened the door to earlier, more honest conversations between men, their partners and healthcare professionals.
Read the Time to Raise It report on the Men's Health Forum website