The archive · Marketing & Growth · Marketing decision · 2025–2026
Novartis gets NFL tight ends to 'relax' over PSA tests — Cannes Pharma Grand Prix
A Super Bowl spot starring real NFL tight ends turns prostate-exam fear into a joke and a simple PSA blood test — searches up 367%, Cannes Pharma Grand Prix.
Novartis
What it had to solve
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer and second-leading cause of cancer death among US men, yet many avoid screening: 60% wrongly believe it requires a digital rectal exam, when the first step is a PSA blood test.
How it works
Novartis, the NFL's official pharmaceutical partner, opened Super Bowl LX with a cheeky premise: 'Relax your tight end.' The insight was research-backed — 60% of men mistakenly believe prostate cancer screening requires an invasive digital rectal exam, when the first step is a simple PSA blood test.
The 60-second spot, created by Fallon and directed by Eric Wareheim, starred current and former NFL tight ends including George Kittle, Rob Gronkowski, Tony Gonzalez and Greg Olsen, alongside Super Bowl-winning coach Bruce Arians, a prostate cancer survivor who credits early detection with saving his life.
Behind the humour sat a real access program: RelaxItsABloodTest.com, risk assessment tools, PSA screening events with NFL teams and on-site activation at the Super Bowl Experience. Google searches for prostate cancer PSA rose 367%, PSA tests added to online carts rose 9.8x, and the American Urological Association changed its guidelines.
Why it lands
- The 'tight end' pun let a scary health topic open with laughter, the right register for a Super Bowl audience.
- Real players in real jerseys gave the message credibility and made the NFL partnership tangible.
- The campaign attacked the actual barrier — the misbelief about the exam — not just awareness of the disease.
- Media and education extended far beyond the ad, so the joke converted into appointments, not just views.
What it did
Google searches for prostate cancer PSA rose 367%, PSA tests added to online carts rose 9.8x, and the American Urological Association changed its guidelines; the campaign won the Cannes Lions 2026 Pharma Grand Prix and a Grand Clio Health 2026 for Pharmaceutical Film.
What you can take
Fear makes men avoid a test that could save them; the campaign reframed the barrier as a joke the audience already shared, then backed it with real access — screening events and an education hub.
Since then
The campaign capped Novartis's two-year Super Bowl health push — after its 2025 breast cancer spot with Hailee Steinfeld — and turned the NFL tie-up into a recurring platform. At Cannes Lions 2026 it won the Pharma Grand Prix and a Grand Clio Health for Pharmaceutical Film, with juries praising humour that opened the door to early detection rather than selling a product.
Sources
- Novartis Tells Men to 'Relax Your Tight End' for Super Bowl LX
- Novartis Gets Cheeky With Super Bowl Ad About Men's 'Tight Ends'
- Novartis: Relax Your Tight End
- Cannes Lions 2026 Grand Prix Winners in Audio & Radio, Creative B2B, Creative Brand, Health & Wellness, Outdoor, Pharma, Print & Publishing, and the Grand Prix for Good
- Clio Health Reveals 2026 Grand and Of The Year Winners
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