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Medicines New Zealand: Dare to be Average

Communication, Campaign, Video, Brand

OCULAR created the Dare to be Average campaign to raise awareness of New Zealand’s poor ranking in medicine access compared with other OECD countries.

We developed a bold, attention-grabbing campaign brand designed to cut through public apathy and spark discussion. At its centre was Bill the Pill, a chirpy yet overworked mascot who personified New Zealand’s struggle to keep up with other nations. Bill helped turn an abstract policy issue into something tangible and relatable for everyday New Zealanders.

Phase 1

To bring the story to life, we produced an animated explainer video that framed medicine access as a national competition, using sports metaphors to show how New Zealand is struggling to compete internationally. We also created a series of man-on-the-street vox pops to capture public perceptions of medicine access and reveal how these differ from the reality of the situation.

Together, the animation, interviews, and a bold visual identity transformed a complex healthcare issue into an engaging, shareable campaign that encouraged Kiwis to join the conversation.

Watch Bill the Pill

Phase 2 

Taking Bill Beyond the Billboards

 

Phase Two focused on taking Bill into the wider world and building a campaign that could show up consistently across everyday spaces. Through ongoing billboard placements, posters, TV pause ads, and social content, Bill became a familiar face that audiences continued to encounter over time.

Each part of the campaign was designed to suit its environment while keeping the same playful and recognisable personality throughout:

  • Billboards and posters that were bold, simple, and hard to miss
  • TV pause ads that surprised people in unexpected moments
  • Social content that kept the campaign active, shareable, and part of ongoing conversation

Rather than feeling like a one-off campaign, Phase Two helped Bill grow into a broader public presence that could connect with audiences across multiple touchpoints.

Real Voices, Real Frustration

We went back to the streets.

 

A fresh wave of street interviews capturing voice of the people captured honest, unfiltered reactions from everyday Kiwis, many of whom were surprised (and frustrated) to learn just how far behind New Zealand is when it comes to accessing modern medicines.

These weren’t scripted opinions.
 

They were genuine moments of disbelief, humour, and concern, reinforcing the campaign’s core idea: most people think we’re doing fine… until they see the reality.

The result was a growing library of social-first content that felt immediate, human, and highly shareable.

See more of this series

Animation Bites
 

Each piece was designed to be:

  •  Short
  •  Platform-specific
  •  Instantly understandable


From social feeds to digital placements and TV pause ads, Bill showed up everywhere, running, competing, struggling to keep up, always reinforcing the same idea: New Zealand is falling behind.


This modular approach allowed the campaign to:

  •  Adapt to multiple formats and placements
  •  Maintain consistency while avoiding repetition
  •  Extend the life of the creative across channels


One character.

Dozens of touchpoints.

A message that kept building.

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