In-Culture Creative Boosts Campaign Engagement for a Pharma Brand

Campaigns resonate more when people feel like the ads are speaking to them. For some audiences, one general market message may do the trick. But when it comes to building connections with multicultural audiences, tailoring creative for specific communities is essential. Especially when you consider that 83% of multicultural consumers show a stronger attachment to culture-specific ads. 1

The challenge

In this case study, you’ll see how using culturally specific creative helped a pharma brand launch a new prescription drug.

Reaching multicultural audiences in a sensitive category

A leading pharmaceutical advertiser was launching a new HIV treatment. As HIV disproportionately impacts African American and Hispanic American communities, relevance was critical to the brand’s success. 

Moving beyond general market creative

While general market creative is effective for broad consumer bases, campaigns targeting multicultural audiences need more than broad messaging. For this campaign, the challenge was clear: Craft messaging that feels authentic and relevant to Black and Latino audiences.

The solution

While the brand’s parent company had a long history of running audio campaigns, the team assigned to this launch was new to the channel. They needed more proof of both the power of audio and the importance of tailoring ad creative.

We partnered with Veritonic to test and quantify the impact of culturally fluent creative. The objective was to measure and compare creative effectiveness to optimize for future campaigns.

Taking a test-and-learn approach powered by cultural fluency

We implemented a creative testing framework using Veritonic to evaluate how different audio assets performed with specific audiences. This approach allowed for a true apples-to-apples comparison of how cultural and linguistic nuance influence ad performance.

The campaign compared:

• General market creative

• African American–targeted creative

• Hispanic-targeted creative (including Spanish-only and bilingual variations)

Studio Resonate, our in-house audio creative agency, was integral to developing the audio spots. The test leveraged our dedicated multicultural team to guide the in-culture creative process, from copy to casting and beyond.

Reaching multicultural audiences with advanced targeting

As an audio publisher that is IAB Data Transparency Certified, we leveraged our comprehensive suite of targeting solutions to ensure this brand reached listeners ages 18 and up in Black and Hispanic communities. We have the ability to pair the respective creative with our first-party multicultural affinity targeting and trusted third-party pharmaceutical data partners as well as by leaning into contextual signals and environments. 

Boosting authenticity with representation for African American audiences

To connect with Black listeners, the campaign leveraged culturally relevant creative elements, including voiceover talent and messaging designed to reflect lived experiences and cultural context. 

Leaning into language to drive for connection with Hispanic audiences

For Latino audiences, the campaign explored not just cultural relevance—but linguistic nuance across the spectrum. This allowed the brand to understand how language impacts both emotional connection and performance.

Measuring what matters

Different versions of the ad were tested for each audience. For African American listeners, two versions were tested (general audience and in-culture creative). And for Hispanic American listeners, three versions were tested (general audience, Spanish-only, and bilingual).

The test was designed to evaluate: 

• Recall

• Engagement

• Intent

• Emotional attributes

The results

In-culture creative outperformed general market creative for key attributes, driving positive sentiment for the brand and informing future campaign strategies. By combining culturally fluent creative with advanced audience targeting and Veritonic measurement, we helped this pharma brand:

• Maximize engagement across multicultural audiences

• Deliver more meaningful, relevant ad experiences

• Generate actionable insights to inform future campaigns

• Demonstrate the measurable impact of in-culture creative

Ultimately, the campaign proved that reaching diverse audiences isn’t just about targeting—it’s about speaking to them in ways that feel authentic, relevant, and real.

Cultural relevance drives deeper engagement with Black listeners

Cultural authenticity drove stronger connections. The culturally relevant creative was more memorable and emotionally engaging than the general market ad for African American audiences.

The in-culture creative significantly outperformed the general market version in key areas: 2

• +7-pt lift in overall audio score

• +5-pt lift in recall

• +7-pt lift in engagement, exceeding medical benchmarks

• +19-pt lift in “energetic” attribute

Language unlocks full-funnel impact with Latino listeners

The culturally tailored messaging drove more trust and personal relevance with Hispanic American audiences. The Spanish-only creative was the strongest driver of intent and overall performance, while the bilingual creative excelled in engagement.

Both the Spanish-language and bilingual creative outperformed the general market ad—demonstrating the critical role of language in connection and comprehension: 2

• +5-pt lift in overall audio score (Spanish-only vs. general market)

• +6-pt lift in recall (Spanish-only vs. general market)

• +2-pt lift in intent (Spanish-only vs. general market)

• +8-pt lift in engagement (bilingual vs. general market), exceeding medical benchmarks

• +3-pt engagement lift (Spanish-only vs. general market)

Combine audio expertise with cultural nuance

With a reach of nine in 10 Americans 13 and up, we offer the biggest audio ecosystem in North American. 3 Our platforms, networks, and partners are where audiences lean in, fueling their passions, finding community, and discovering brands. No matter who your target audience is, you can reach and resonate with audio.

And with Fluency, our cultural marketing practice, we help brands leverage audience insights and cultural intelligence to develop audience-first strategies.

We did it for them. We can do it for you. Let’s talk.

Need more proof that audio ads work?