How to Build Pharma Campaigns That Work Across Borders and Rules

author :

Marta Król

tags :

[ Pipeline ]

[ Pharma ]

Creativity That Crosses Time Zones

When we say we build global campaigns, we don’t just mean geographically broad; we mean strategically built to travel. In pharma, this isn’t optional. A campaign might launch in Germany, adapt in Brazil, review in the U.S., and hit production in Singapore. But it needs to feel cohesive. Credible. Aligned.

That’s why we design globally from the ground up. We start by asking the right questions: Who will need to approve this? Where will it be seen? What cultural or clinical sensitivities might shape how it’s received? The answers guide everything: from casting to color palettes, from metaphors to messaging, ensuring each element can move confidently across cultures, medical markets, and approval pipelines. Not by diluting the creative, but by building it with flexibility baked in.

Designing for Localization, Not Just Translation

A powerful image in one country might feel unclear or even inappropriate in another. A metaphor that resonates in one culture may fall short in another. That’s why we don’t just design to be translated: we create to be transformed.

In the Pfizer project Marbles, we built a metaphor, a scale tipping with glass spheres that was intentionally simple and visual. No complex narration. No localized slang. Just a clean, universally readable concept that spoke to balance and treatment.

Every detail matters to make that kind of work succeed globally. We chose fonts that were legible in multiple alphabets. We designed the lighting to evoke a warm and human feel, creating a sense of clarity and trust that is effective across various regions. We ensured that nothing from wardrobe to camera framing would stand in the way of local audiences seeing themselves reflected in the story. The result? A film that passed regulatory checks and made emotional sense in every market it entered.

Compliance Isn’t a Bottleneck, It’s a Blueprint

Working globally also means navigating the many layers of legal, medical, and regulatory review. We’ve worked on campaigns requiring feedback from multiple regional teams, each with their own terminology, review timelines, and specific standards.

Instead of treating review rounds as obstacles, we plan for them from the start. We share visual previews early on, with notes that highlight anything that might raise questions. Our timelines are built to give room for feedback without slowing everything down.

We don’t wait until the end to get aligned: we invite input early, explain the thinking behind every visual choice, and keep everyone in the loop with simple reference boards and updates. That way, the work keeps moving and everyone stays confident it’s on the right track. It’s not just a workaround — it’s a strategy.

“Working across regions doesn’t mean simplifying ideas — it means staying clear on what makes them meaningful, and making sure that clarity carries through every version, every market, and every review.”

Marta Król
-
Head of Production

Built to Travel

Pharma clients often ask us, “Will this work everywhere?” And it’s the right question, because even the strongest ideas can fall flat if they aren’t created with global realities in mind.

Our answer? It can, if it’s designed to. For Magnetic Stories, that meant working closely with international audio teams to craft sound-based narratives that resonate emotionally across cultures, not just through language but through feeling. With Soolantra, our mischievous pimple villains and superhero cream had to be just as impactful in Tokyo as they were in New York, across every size, format, and platform.

This level of care isn’t a bonus. It’s the foundation. It’s how we protect the creative core of the idea while making sure it travels. We don’t just build assets; we create visual systems that can adapt without losing their meaning. That way, the message stays strong in any market, in any medium, and still feels like it was made for the people it reaches.

Global Stories, Locally Felt

A campaign only succeeds globally if it resonates locally. That means understanding nuance, speaking in a clear visual language, and knowing when to step back and let simplicity carry the message. However, it also means setting a high standard for precision: in storytelling, execution, and cultural awareness.

At Ars Thanea, we’ve delivered pharma campaigns across continents, adapted them into dozens of languages, and navigated reviews from Tokyo to Toronto. What makes it all work isn’t just the quality of the visuals, but the strategy behind them.

A global film doesn’t just need to look good; it needs to anticipate how a medical board will respond, leave space for local adjustments, and give teams in every region something clear and purposeful to build on. That’s how stories travel well, not by chance, but through clarity, care, and craft.

When science has the power to change lives, the story should be able to reach as far.