Takeda Pharmaceutical’s Thailand dengue awareness campaign paves the way for future public health communication

The company’s ING-MA campaign wins Marketing & Communications Initiative of the Year - Thailand at the Healthcare Asia Pharma Awards.

Thailand faces a significant public health challenge: dengue. With over 1.2 million cases recorded in the past 15 years, the urgency to raise public awareness about dengue fever and prevention is real.

Takeda Thailand took to the challenge with its groundbreaking dengue awareness campaign that utilised innovative digital storytelling techniques. The campaign has been recognised for its creativity, effectiveness, and impact on public health awareness at the Healthcare Asia Pharma Awards 2024, winning in the Marketing & Communications Initiative of the Year category.

A multi-stakeholder approach to dengue management 
Takeda Thailand understood that an integrated approach is paramount to effectively manage dengue.  Through strategic collaborations with partners across public, private, and academic sectors under the “Dengue-zero Memorandum of Understanding”, a dengue awareness campaign was launched on ASEAN Dengue Day 2022. 

At the heart of the campaign was the creation of ING-MA, a dengue virtual human personified as a young schoolgirl, representing the age group most affected by the disease (5- to 14-year-olds). The idea for this concept emerged from one critical question: “Can we portray the experiences of these 1,237,467 people impacted by dengue to educate through a unified representation?”

Created using big data from over one million Thai people and artificial intelligence, ING-MA effectively humanised the experiences of individuals living with dengue fever to deliver crucial messaging about dengue risks, symptoms, and prevention methods.

The campaign leveraged various channels, including videos, posters, social media content, and interactive engagements, to reach the masses. A 42-second video introduced ING-MA, whilst six videos in Thai, with English subtitles, targeted specific audience groups. Posters were distributed to bring ING-MA's messages to local communities. Social media played a vital role, with educational content and interactive sessions, where ING-MA would answer questions about dengue.

ING-MA made the campaign deeply relatable and emotionally engaging. She became a powerful symbol of the dengue threat, garnering news coverage in over 100 leading publications and reaching over 35 million people both online and offline. The campaign significantly outperformed other health initiatives in digital engagement, with 518% more views and unique online visitors.

A model for the future
ING-MA underscores Takeda’s commitment to driving innovation and positive change in the healthcare industry and highlights the power of innovative storytelling and the application of technology in public health initiatives.

The campaign's success paves the way for broader application and adaptation to different diseases, raising awareness, driving urgency, and promoting community action.

Healthcare Asia Pharma Awards honours outstanding pharma companies in Asia that have demonstrated unwavering commitment to innovation and excellence and have redefined pharmaceutical excellence.

The Healthcare Asia Pharma Awards is presented by Healthcare Asia Magazine. To view the full list of winners, click here. If you want to join the 2025 awards programme and be recognised for your organisation's innovative and unique initiatives that enhanced your business and remarkable contributions to the pharmaceutical industry, please contact Julie Anne Nuñez at [email protected].