How Inclusive, Personalized, and Authentic Experiential Marketing Is Shaping the Future of Consumer Healthcare
By Yawar Saeed, Regional Senior Brand Manager, Centrum, Gulf & Near East
As marketers, we’re often challenged to make the intangible tangible—to turn science into stories and products into movements. My recent journey with Vitamin See by Centrum, has reinforced for me what it means to lead with both insight and empathy in the multivitamin category.
Health, Humanity, and the Haleon Philosophy
At Haleon, health isn’t just about science or products—it’s about empathy, simplicity, and action. Our purpose is to deliver better everyday health with humanity, making health accessible and meaningful for all. This philosophy shapes everything we do: we don’t just sell products, we create experiences that empower people and make health feel personal.
The Multivitamin Category: From Skepticism to Self-Care
Wellness is often seen as a “nice to have,” and skepticism about supplementation persists. The science can feel invisible, the benefits intangible. That’s the challenge we face in the multivitamin category: if people can’t see the impact, they don’t prioritize it. As marketers, our job is to bridge that gap—moving consumers from passive awareness to active self-care.
The Insight That Sparked a Movement
Our campaign was born from a powerful insight: 90% of UAE residents suffer from at least one vitamin deficiency. This wasn’t just a statistic—it was a call to action. We realized that to drive real change, we needed to make the invisible benefits of vitamins visible and emotionally resonant.
Vitamin See by Centrum: Turning Science into Experience
Vitamin See was conceived as a world-first activation to bring the science of vitamins to life. We selected Kite Beach, right alongside the Dubai Fitness Challenge, to ensure cultural relevance and maximum engagement—at a time when the entire city was focused on fitness and lifestyle improvement. Inside a custom-built dome, visitors embarked on a multisensory journey where light, sound, and art revealed how vitamins work inside the body. Six interactive monoliths created a tangible connection between science and everyday health.
But it wasn’t just about spectacle. Every visitor completed a 60+ point Wellness Scan, transforming data into personal stories and sparking real conversations about health. Inclusivity was at the heart of the experience: by partnering with Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services, we welcomed people of determination, who could listen in to ASMR-guided soundscapes curated by Anghami—ensuring that even those who cannot see could fully experience Vitamin See. True innovation means leaving no one behind.
Centrum: The Right Brand for the Moment
Centrum is the world’s No.1 multivitamin, trusted globally for decades and backed by science. It’s the most clinically studied multivitamin brand, developed to nourish the body with what it needs so individuals feel in control of their health journey. Centrum is about being a lifelong ally—building every body from the inside out, and adapting to every life stage and lifestyle.
Transforming Communication into Community
Instead of thinking in terms of channels or tactics, we focused on how people truly experience health in their everyday lives. Our communications became conversations—happening in multiple languages, formats, and settings—reflecting the diversity and richness of our community. Looking back, what set our approach apart was the intention behind every touchpoint. We didn’t just aim for visibility; we aimed for understanding. By inviting real stories and lived experiences to take center stage, and by making space for community voices—especially those often left out of health conversations—we transformed traditional marketing levers into genuine moments of connection. The most rewarding outcome was seeing people engage not just as consumers, but as advocates and participants in their own wellness journeys.
Impact: Beyond the Numbers
The results spoke for themselves—record engagement, media coverage, and footfall. But more importantly, we sparked conversations, shifted perceptions, and made health feel personal for thousands. The true impact was felt in moments that numbers alone can’t capture. On more than one occasion, we were messaged on our social media pages by people waiting in line outside the dome before opening, asking, “Can you open earlier? The queue is already forming!” Influencers reached out to us proactively, saying, “We’d love to collaborate—how can we be part of Vitamin See?” Perhaps the most rewarding feedback came from visitors who had traveled from other parts of the world and, after experiencing the activation, would turn to us and say, “Bring this to us!”
Guiding Thoughts for Your Next Marketing Plan
- Start with a real human insight. Data is everywhere, but meaning is rare.
- Build for participation, not just awareness. The most powerful stories are co-created with your audience.
- Design for inclusion and impact. True innovation leaves no one behind.
- Don’t be afraid to challenge category norms. Sometimes, the boldest ideas are the most needed.
- Embrace diversity—in language, in experience, in perspective. Relevance is local before it’s global.
Vitamin See isn’t just an activation—it’s a movement. For me, it’s a reminder that marketing at its best is about making the invisible, visible—and making health a lived, shared experience.
