Viatris replaces banned Viagra ads with an art film about intimacy — Pharma GP

In China, direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising is prohibited and sex remains a sensitive topic — a double barrier that made conventional promotion of Viagra impossible. Viatris and Ogilvy Shanghai's answer was to stop trying to advertise and instead make art.

Partnering with fine-art photographer Lavender Chang, they invited three real couples to talk honestly about fading passion and intimacy challenges, then left them alone with a camera. Long-exposure film captured their closeness as blurred, dreamlike light — explicit enough to move, subtle enough to pass censorship. The three films, 'The Bedroom', 'The Hotel Room' and 'The Living Room', were released online on 520 (May 20, Mandarin for 'I love you'), with the only brand signals being Viagra's blue diamond and the words 'Make Love Last'.

The campaign reached 350 million impressions, triggered 1.89 million organic conversations and drove 85.8 million video views — despite making no product claims — and improved brand favorability among patients and partners. The Cannes Pharma jury gave it the 2025 Grand Prix, calling the long-exposure technique 'breathtaking subtlety' that turned regulation into creative opportunity.