ADC Awards
ADC Annual Awards is the oldest continuously running industry award show in the world, with an incredible legacy of over 100 years. These awards celebrate the very best in advertising, digital media, graphic and publication design, packaging and product design, motion, experiential and spatial design, photography, illustration and fashion design – all with a focus on artistry and craftsmanship.
Category
Interactive / Social Media
Annual ID
ADC105_PHM023M
Background
Colon cancer is on the rise, especially among younger people and women. Yet it’s over 90+% curable when caught early. With the screening age lowered to 45, we needed to appeal to a younger crowd. But people aren’t screening because they dread the process. To reach them, we went cultural, not clinical. And leaned into the TV shows they’re binging. This time: The winter western, where the anxiety, fear and hesitation around an impending blizzard acts as a metaphor for the heightened drama of a colonoscopy. Luckily, with Cologuard delivered to his porch, our hero can skip all that.
"Blizzard" like other Skip the Drama TV spots, misdirects the audience for what looks like a teaser for a new show, but is really an invitation to screen for colon cancer.
"Blizzard" like other Skip the Drama TV spots, misdirects the audience for what looks like a teaser for a new show, but is really an invitation to screen for colon cancer.
Creative Idea
Humor hasn’t been associated with colon cancer screening. Until now.
We decided to create a send-up of a winter western where a rugged pioneer has to trudge through a blizzard to his colon cancer screening: Or so his wife thinks. Turns out he just has to go to the porch for his Cologuard kit. So he can skip all the drama of the traditional way to get screened. She is relieved. As is he.
Along the way, he learns how quick and easy it is to complete Cologuard at home and leave it on his porch for pick-up. And that Cologuard can even be ordered via phone.
We decided to create a send-up of a winter western where a rugged pioneer has to trudge through a blizzard to his colon cancer screening: Or so his wife thinks. Turns out he just has to go to the porch for his Cologuard kit. So he can skip all the drama of the traditional way to get screened. She is relieved. As is he.
Along the way, he learns how quick and easy it is to complete Cologuard at home and leave it on his porch for pick-up. And that Cologuard can even be ordered via phone.
Insights & Strategy
Data shows that after their first screening, >70% of people plan to stick with the modality they first used. This makes it imperative to win with the 45-49 audience, where unscreened rates are the highest; 80% of this audience hasn’t screened and they have a lot going on in their lives, making them both a high-impact opportunity. So, we zeroed in on this newly eligible, largely unaware, and often resistant group.
Creating work that stood out with this younger audience was crucial to both steal mindshare from colonoscopy and open the door to screening relevancy. While colon cancer screening drama makes our target clam up, TV drama captivates them.
Creating work that stood out with this younger audience was crucial to both steal mindshare from colonoscopy and open the door to screening relevancy. While colon cancer screening drama makes our target clam up, TV drama captivates them.
Execution
We teamed up with an Academy Award-nominated cinematographer to shoot in a real cabin way up in the woods in Bulgaria, featuring wide sweeping shots for a convincing winter landscape, coupled with majestic compositions, and indoor lamp-lit 1800s intimacy, snow candles, acres of fake snow. All cinematic visual cues to stop viewers in their tracks. Everything had to feel completely believable for the misdirect to succeed.
And what worked on TV worked even better on social, with each social video highlighting a specific product benefit without sacrificing cinematic quality. Just because it runs on social doesn't mean it needs to look like traditional social best practices. Because how you show up is as important as what you say.
And what worked on TV worked even better on social, with each social video highlighting a specific product benefit without sacrificing cinematic quality. Just because it runs on social doesn't mean it needs to look like traditional social best practices. Because how you show up is as important as what you say.
Results
Collectively, early results prove Skip the Drama ads are outperforming iSpot pharmaceutical advertising norms on every performance metric tracked and truly stand out in the category.
• Persuaded 43% of all viewers to speak with their doctor about Cologuard, outpacing Rx average by 14 points
• Cologuard brand was recalled by 85% of viewers on an unaided basis, attesting to memorability
• Ranked in the 98th percentile for Relevance (well above norm), giving a nod to the cultural references being positively received as well as relatability to the overall message
• Ranked in the 97th percentile for Attention & Likeability (well above norm), proving the creative execution breaks through with the target audience. Over 50% positive sentiment after viewing White Knight, most associated with being funny, humorous, entertaining, and informative
The target audience is reacting and saying, “I thought the ad was hilarious and I loved the phrase “skip the drama.” It really gave a sense of ease and privacy for colon screening where it might normally be a tough subject for people.”
“Old Phone” has been viewed over 24 million times on YouTube.
“Snow Angels” has been viewed over 34 million times on YouTube.
• Persuaded 43% of all viewers to speak with their doctor about Cologuard, outpacing Rx average by 14 points
• Cologuard brand was recalled by 85% of viewers on an unaided basis, attesting to memorability
• Ranked in the 98th percentile for Relevance (well above norm), giving a nod to the cultural references being positively received as well as relatability to the overall message
• Ranked in the 97th percentile for Attention & Likeability (well above norm), proving the creative execution breaks through with the target audience. Over 50% positive sentiment after viewing White Knight, most associated with being funny, humorous, entertaining, and informative
The target audience is reacting and saying, “I thought the ad was hilarious and I loved the phrase “skip the drama.” It really gave a sense of ease and privacy for colon screening where it might normally be a tough subject for people.”
“Old Phone” has been viewed over 24 million times on YouTube.
“Snow Angels” has been viewed over 34 million times on YouTube.
2026 Awards
Total Points: 3
Merit Honor
Credits
Agency
OLIXIR / New York
Production Company
Reset / Los Angeles
Post Production Company
BBB Creative Inc / Los Angeles
Chief Creative Officer
Kathleen Nanda
Creative Director
Luke Hughett
Sean Lee
Executive Creative Director
Daniel Mailliard
Fabio Rodrigues
Strategist
Jonah Glick
Strategy Director
Ryan Amos
Executive Producer
Dana Greengross
Senior Art Director
Marcus Doornbosch
Steven Rojas
Managing Partner
Bill Yorio
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