New initiative from Pague Menos removes ads from first-aid videos online

Such is the reason why Pague Menos, Brazil’s largest network of online pharmacies, released Monday ‘No Ad,’ a call-to-action for brands to cease placing ads before and during urgent health-related content online, including instructional videos about closed-chest heart massages, the Heimlich anti-choking maneuver, stroke identification, mouth-to-mouth respiration, staunching bleeds and others.

As the brand pioneering the movement, Pague Menos says it has tapped São Paulo-based agency Lew’Lara\TBWA to bar its own ads from online guides for emergency situations.

In addition, Pague Menos contacted the creators behind these tutorials, proposing that they demonetize their videos, with the brand agreeing to pay them an undisclosed monetary amount in exchange for their potential advertising income. So far, the brand has published 15 demonetized videos on the official project page at the Sempre Bem healthcare portal, each created by Brazilian nurse and content creator Descomplica Enfermagem and various Medical TV information channels.

”Investing in advertising is vital, but it can sometimes be rethought for the sake of a greater good: people’s health,” Renato Camargo, vice-president of customers at Pague Menos and Extrafarma, said in a statement shared with The Drum. ”Initially, resistance to this idea was strong, with many rejections, but it finally became a reality. Now, we want to invite other companies and industries in the sector, that also believe health comes first, to join this movement and help us save lives. In an emergency, every second counts, and this is beyond price.”

Pague Menos adds: ”Online video tutorials should be last-resort resources in emergency situations. In any emergency, the first step should always be to contact local emergency service hotlines.”

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