• by Les Luchter , October 23, 2024

Haleon, the two-year-old CPG spinoff from GSK, is not only leading in marketing inclusion efforts, but aiming to meet even higher standards.

The company accounts for three of the first 10 “Certified Inclusive” over-the-counter U.S. health brands as announced this week by the SeeMe Index.

That Index uses AI analysis to measure the inclusion of skin tone, gender expression, age, body size, sexual orientation, and visible disability in ads, on product websites and in “external commitments” like company-led initiatives, partnerships, donations, and public announcements.

Separately, Haleon said it has teamed with AI tech vendor CreativeX to launch a Health Inclusivity Screener, designed to improve inclusivity and representation in its digital ad content.

The Screener, Haleon said, assesses ad content against health literacy (“message simplicity and comprehension,”) accessibility (“text legibility, text captions and sound”) and representation (“demographics of sex, age range, skin tone and situational settings”).

Saying the Screener will enable it to “drive improved brand performance and ROI through campaigns which resonate more strongly with consumers,” Halion has piloted the tool on behalf of its Panadol acetaminophen pain relief brand in nine international markets, with plans to extend globally “over time.”

“While many brands have taken positive steps in inclusive advertising, we see a huge opportunity to set the standard in the consumer health sector,” Haleon Chief Marketing Officer Tamara Rogers said in a press release.

Haleon said that 83% of global ads fail “to meet basic accessibility” and that 4% of consumers “don't feel culturally represented in online advertising.”

The Haleon brands that were “Certified Inclusive” by the first SeeMe Health & Wellness Index include two other pain relief products -- Advil and Voltaren – along with Theraflu.

Advil, the researcher says, “stands out for its commitment to Black pain inequity via its ‘Pain Equity Project’ initiative.”

In addition to Haleon’s pain relief brands, SeeMe also cited Kenvue’s Tylenol for prioritizing consumer wellness “through initiatives that address pain management inequities and educate communities about effective pain relief strategies.”

But, overall in the pain relief category, SeeMe found that “women with deep skin tones receive only 5.3% of screen time… compared to 54.6% for women with light skin tones.”

Theraflu falls into what SeeMe dubs the “allergy, colds & flu” category, in which the researcher blasted seasonal allergy medicines whose ads show age discrimination: “28% of adults 45-64 have seasonal allergies, yet 45-54 accounts for only 8% of screen time in allergy ads.  55+ individuals account for less than 1% of screen time.”

Besides Haleon, only two other major CPG companies made SeeMe’s “Certified Inclusive” list – Colgate-Palmolive’s Colgate toothpaste and Procter & Gamble’s Always feminine products.

Colgate stood out with a self-assessment quiz that asks about medical conditions like diabetes and arthritis, “which are more common for certain underrepresented communities,” SeeMe said.

Also in oral care, Colgate-owned Tom’s of Maine, P&G’s Crest, and Kenvue’s Listerine were praised for offering inclusive products and for ads emphasizing the importance of representation.

However, for oral care brands overall, SeeMe noted, “periodontal disease is most common among Black adults (42%) yet deep skin tones only account for 9% of screen time in oral care ads.”  

Always falls into the menstrual care and incontinence category, which SeeMe said has “the strongest commitment to inclusivity.” Four other brands in this category also made the “Certified Inclusive” list: period underwear brand Thinx, menstrual product brands Diva and Saalt, and feminine care brand Honey Pot.

Honey Pot in fact received the highest score of any of the 70 brands studied. It was singled out for a website that discloses the ages and genders of people included in both its claims and clinical studies, a practice SeeMe said is followed by less than 9% of health and wellness brands.

Diva was cited as the only brand in the category that guides people with disabilities who have corresponding menstruation challenges.

Women’s supplement brand Ritual rounds out the list of the 10 “Certified Inclusive” brands. “Ritual commits to diversity by publishing demographic data in its advertising and providing tailored guidance to trans and non-binary individuals on how to navigate the category,” SeeMe said.

The category with the lowest commitment to inclusivity? Digestive health, but SeeMe did cite brands like Culturelle and Bayer’s Miralax as “making strides in promoting digestive wellness, which can impact people with obesity” and also Hims & Hers for championing “cultural competence,” defined as “delivering services that meet patients' cultural, social, and religious needs when assessing barriers to obesity care.”