Pfizer, working with Omnicom Health Hong Kong, has launched a migraine awareness initiative that meets busy affluent Hong Kong commuters on their way to work. Delivered through a first-of-its-kind Uber ad placement, the campaign’s short in-app quiz is surfacing just how widespread migraine misunderstanding still is, among an audience with the means to seek proper treatment.
Much to the frustration of genuine sufferers, “migraine” has become an often casually misused word in everyday language. “I’ve got a migraine” is commonly shorthand for a bad headache or a particularly rough day. But for the roughly 12.5% of Hong Kong’s population who experience genuine migraines, the condition is something else entirely: a distinct neurological event with its own warning signs, triggers and aftermath, often invisible to everyone around them, and that crucially, especially for professionals, can limit their ability to perform at their best.
The initiative is designed to close two gaps at once – both a general misunderstanding of migraine, and a blind spot around preventive treatment. Commuters are invited to test their own migraine understanding via a QR code, which leads to a short, interactive quiz covering symptoms, triggers and treatment, including prevention. On completion, every participant is instantly shown the correct answers with plain-language explanations, leaving them with an immediate upgrade in understanding. Riders who share their results to Instagram Stories unlock a HKD 50 discount on a future Uber ride, further extending the campaign’s reach.
To reach the specific audience of quality-of-life-focused, Hong Kong professionals, Pfizer secured the placement as the inaugural brand partner for “First Trip Takeover”, a new premium ad format from Uber Advertising offering full-screen, 100% Share of Voice on a rider’s first Uber trip of the day and able to be localised – in this case, targeted to Hong Kong’s main business districts to reach professionals directly. The format gave the campaign a rare, uncluttered moment of attention at the exact point commuters were planning their day, when a reminder of the importance of looking after their health in order to perform would resonate.
Peggy Fung, General Manager at Pfizer Hong Kong & Macau, said, “Migraine is still widely misunderstood – dismissed as ‘just a headache,’ wrongly seen as only a women’s issue, and too often managed with painkillers instead of being treated, or even prevented. We wanted to do more than raise awareness – we wanted to genuinely shift perceptions, and that’s what excited us about this campaign. Our hope is that, armed with the right information, people stop underestimating the condition and seek proper medical consultation and the right treatment.”
Sam Wong, Managing Director of Omnicom Health Hong Kong, added: “Our brief wasn’t just to raise awareness but to design a moment where awareness could actually convert into understanding. That’s why every part of this mechanic matters: the takeover gets attention, the quiz tests what people think they know, and the instant explanations correct on the spot. It’s a two-minute education loop, that reaches the right people in the right moment.”
Sky Sin, Client Partner at Uber Advertising, commented on the new media: “First Trip Takeover was built for exactly this kind of moment – a brand that wants undivided attention at a point in someone’s day when they’re genuinely receptive, not just present. Partnering with Pfizer and Omnicom Health to launch it here in Hong Kong showed exactly what that attention can be used for – turning a daily commute into a genuine moment of health education.”
Early results of the campaign quiz are strongly reinforcing this need for education. Among the more than 700 riders who have completed the quiz in its first week, responses consistently show how little is understood about migraines as a diagnosable, treatable condition, rather than “just a bad headache”, with many respondents unaware that migraines can be prevented with the right medication, not just managed after an attack begins.
The campaign will run in selected Ubers through September, with the Uber discount available by completing the test on the campaign website until the limit is reached:
