• by Les Luchter , March 12, 2025

Like people, eczema comes in many colors. It can appear as red patches in lighter skin, and in gray, purple or dark brown patches in people with darker skin. Patches may also be thicker and/or bumpier in the latter.

Hence, a diverse cast stars in Eli Lilly’s first ad campaign for its brand-new Ebglyss medication, which treats moderate to severe eczema in anyone 12 years of age or older.

So a group of kids show up along with several adults in a :60 spot, which states: “Eczema isn’t always obvious. Eczema isn’t always red. But now eczema isn’t always going to stop you.”  

Lilly hopes that “patients see themselves reflected in the commercial,” Ashley Diaz-Granados, Lilly’s senior vice president of U.S. immunology, tells Marketing Daily.

She says the ad’s messaging “was informed by patient insights that revealed that eczema doesn’t show up the same in everyone and can be hard to identify in many patients, who end up feeling underrepresented in eczema treatment."

“Multiple qualitative and quantitative methods were leveraged to uncover needs and barriers AD [atopic dermatitis, AKA eczema] sufferers face.”

The ad launched last month and will run on linear TV, streaming and digital throughout the year.

The goal, Diaz-Granados says, “is to reach and equip patients with moderate-to-severe eczema to have productive discussions with their healthcare providers about their treatment options.”

“We know patients play a critical role in eczema treatment decisions,” she explains, citing data from dermatologists showing active participation by patients.

Prior to Ebglyss’s FDA approval, Lilly ran an eczema awareness campaign during last summer’s Olympics, which featured U.S. Gymnastics medalist Suni Lee. The firm will continue partnering with Lee in “additional ways” this year, Diaz-Granados says.

An estimated 16.5 million Americans have eczema, per Lilly.

Ebyglyss enters a category in which Dupixent, from Sanofi and Regeneron, has been on the market – and advertising – since its FDA approval in 2017.