Pain relief medication brand Nurofen has unveiled a giant pill pack-themed activation in the heart of Newcastle city centre as part of its ongoing campaign to spotlight the gender pain gap.

Devised by creative agency McCann London in collaboration with IPG’s Momentum and Chiswick Scenery, the work is based off the alarming insight that as many as one in two women are routinely having their pain dismissed.

Measuring 13×22 feet, the larger-than-life installation called out this disparity with a screen that displayed real-life accounts of pain dismissal, reminding the public of the urgent need for change in society.

“We believe that pain is personal and that no one, regardless of their gender or any other characteristic that could be a basis for discrimination, should have their pain dismissed or underestimated,” Reckitt Nurofen marketing manager, Mathieu Desbrandes said.

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“Our goal with this activation is to amplify the voices of women whose pain has been ignored, and to catalyse awareness and action towards equality in pain management and treatment.

The installation is a continuation of the Reckitt-owned brand’s ‘See My Pain’ brand platform, first launched in 2022 in the hopes of challenging the generations of pain dismissal faced by women.

McCann London ECD, Regan Warner added: “The pill pack mirrors the scale of the Gender Pain Gap, making it impossible to ignore. You can skip an ad, but you can’t walk past this striking reminder of the pain women endure. The installation forces everyone to confront the issue directly.

“It was deeply moving to witness the raw emotion of women sharing their stories, alongside the shocked reactions of people reading the real dismissals women have faced when seeking treatment.”