Pharmaceutical company Sanofi has unveiled a “meningitis flag” as a global unifying symbol to raise awareness about the disease.
Designed by textile designer Laura Spring, the flag was co-created with creative agency Leith, the Meningitis Research Foundation (MRF), the Confederation of Meningitis Organisations (CoMO), Sanofi, and three para-athletes affected by the disease; Theo Curin, Davide Morana, and Ellie Challis.
The global campaign will be showcased online and across social in multiple markets, including France, Germany, Turkey, Vietnam and Italy. The initiative will also be promoted by influencers, international athletes and a variety of charities, with Curin, Morana and Challis sharing their personal stories throughout.
The flag, which features distinct shapes and colours representing different concepts behind the design, aims to help accelerate the work to defeat meningitis by 2030.
Subscribe to Marketing Beat for free
Sign up here to get the latest marketing news sent straight to your inbox each morning
The idea of three is a key element in the design, with the colours – yellow, purple and blue – representing the three meninges (membrane layers that protect and support the brain and spinal cord).
“We are incredibly proud to have worked on the flag. Advocacy for meningitis, despite all the great work that is going on, lacks the consistent visibility that other diseases have,” said Leith Manchester and Edinburgh partner Brain Coane.
“There is no ‘pink ribbon’ for meningitis. Our strategic and creative approach was to help the community develop a unifying symbol to create a step-change in global awareness and advocacy. We hope that flying the flag will help provide the visibility, solidarity, and behaviour change required to help achieve the WHO’s road map vision to defeat the disease by 2030.”
Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson added: “Meningitis is a hidden epidemic – quiet and insidious – but too often results in terrible consequences.
“At Sanofi, we are committed to leveraging our partnership with Paris 2024 to elevate this fight worldwide, ensuring awareness that this disease can largely be beaten through vaccine innovation.
“We’re incredibly proud to support the launch of the flag and do our part to reach the World Health Organization’s goal to defeat meningitis by 2030.”
