Checkup - Joe Deeks - VCCP Health
As part of our ongoing Checkup series, we are asking emerging talent across the globe their hot takes on healthcare, what keeps them ticking, and what they’d like to see more of in the industry.
This week we spoke to Joe Deeks, Head of Copy at VCCP Health.
Joe began his career at PR and content agencies, before stepping (fully clothed) into the hot tub of healthcare advertising. Having spent a couple of years at Ogilvy Health, Joe is now head of copy at VCCP Health, where he and the team have won a number of awards. In a past life, he did a stint as a private detective – he retains a keen eye for detail, but not the trench coat.
CF: Can you tell us about your career journey so far? What led you to pursue a role in healthcare advertising?
JD: I was in that nebulous year or two after graduating from uni, not knowing what to do with my life. In a rare, early-twenties bit of introspection I thought about what I enjoy doing and what I’m good at. That was writing. I didn’t go to private school, so the chances of becoming a novelist in the 2010s were low. So I decided to pursue copywriting. A few years in, I realised I was really interested in writing for film and applied for any role that promised that. One of those I came across was in healthcare advertising, and I got the job…
CF: Was there a particular project, campaign, or moment that made you realize this was the right industry for you?
JD: My first project at VCCP Health was Teva’s ‘Love doesn’t take a break’. There was the idea of showing the day of a carer, but it was felt something could help tell the story even more effectively. Global CCO Brett O’Connor suggested an emotional voiceover and we wrote a poem for it, read by actor John Rhys-Davies. I remember thinking that if I could tell my graduate self that some years down the line, I’d be getting paid for writing a poem that Sallah from Indiana Jones would be reading…
CF: What makes healthcare advertising different from other industries you've worked in or considered?
JD: It’s bloody hard. Regulation and often strict messaging mean that getting a lot of the bigger work out the door feel like a miracle. A lovely, well-earned miracle. We wouldn’t do it if it was easy, would we.
CF: How do you approach storytelling in healthcare campaigns, especially when dealing with complex or sensitive topics?
JD: Accept that these are not strictly our stories to tell, which is why strategy is so important. Let patients do the talking and provide their insight, and we’ll channel that into something eye-catching, considered and empathetic.
CF: What’s been the most rewarding campaign or project you’ve worked on so far, and why?
JD: At VCCP Health, we worked on the global launch of Elanco’s allergic dermatitis dog treatment, Zenrelia. The idea was to have dogs in Zen yoga poses, so we worked with the marvels at Framestore to create realistic dogs doing just that. 1. Saw the infinitesimal attention to detail that goes into CGI fur. 2. Went to Framestore’s editing suites, where they worked on the Bond films.
CF: What advice would you give to other emerging creatives looking to break into healthcare advertising?
JD: To aspiring copywriters, imagination is a muscle. So, read. Read fiction. Non-fiction. Broadsheet newspapers. Tabloids. Local rags. Current affairs magazines. Fashion supplements. Film quarterlies. A car manual. Writers are experts at conveying often very nuanced, complex stories in a succinct way. That’s vital in any advertising, but especially healthcare. Reading a wide range of things gives you an understanding of how different stories are told to different audiences. Plus, you never know, page 58 of the Argos catalogue could spark an idea.
CF: How do you stay inspired and continue to grow as a creative in such a specialized industry?
JD: Awards keep us all on our toes. There’s nothing more inspiring/devastating than seeing award-winning work each year and thinking ‘how has no one (i.e., me) never thought of that before?’
CF: If you could change one thing about the perception of healthcare advertising, what would it be?
JD: That it’s aimed at an audience of aliens, immune to weird and wonderful creative ideas. A brief is a brief, and we’re always looking to change the thinking and behaviour of people, no matter the subject. HCPs may think more rationally than some, but they still sit there scrolling through Instagram. Ideally not during an operation.
CF: What’s your favourite campaign ever in healthcare?
JD: I love Bodyform’s Periodsomnia from a few years ago. Brilliant, trippy visuals that help tell a specific story about periods. All choreographed to an absolute banger.
