Merck Mectizan Donation Program Film

Client Brief
Merck asked us to create a film celebrating 5 billion Mectizan treatments donated for river blindness and elephantiasis. They wanted a piece to share with staff and show at their main factory in Haarlem. Therefore, the goal was to highlight the program’s scale, impact, and Merck’s long-term commitment.

Our Approach
First, we combined staff interviews from last year’s annual event with archival footage from years of filming the Mectizan Donation Program across multiple countries. This approach allowed us to show both the human and operational impact of the program.

Next, our MD, Steve Maud, composed a soundtrack called The Promise, inspired by Merck’s motto: “As much as needed, for as long as needed.” The music guided the narrative and emphasized the dedication behind the program. Additionally, by blending heartfelt interviews, historical footage, and cinematic visuals, we illustrated the difference 35 years of commitment has made to communities around the world.

Impact and Results
As a result, the film premiered at Merck’s annual event and received enthusiastic applause. It reinforced the Mectizan Donation Program as a cornerstone of Merck’s work and strengthened staff pride. Furthermore, the film helped secure additional funding for the program and increased awareness of the company’s global impact.

Overall, by telling the story of Merck’s long-term commitment, the film demonstrates how strategic content can educate, inspire, and celebrate at the same time. The Merck Mectizan Donation Program film commemorated a historic milestone and created a shared sense of purpose among staff. In this way, it made the scale and importance of the initiative tangible and meaningful for everyone who watched it.

This film was created as part of a package for the Medical Research Council (UKRI) – offering a brand film and then an accompanying commercial film that looks at the actual work they do in more practical terms.

Working with an award-winning Creative Director and Director of Photography, we turned the staff of MRC into actors, and their laboratories in to sets as we delivered on a creative that reflects the open-minded, human-centric thinking required to solve some of the biggest problems in life. What causes cancer cells to mutate? What can flies teach us about our own DNA? How can we extend life?

The challenge was how to turn some of the world’s most advanced, future-looking research in to something palatable for the public, connecting quite abstract developmental research in to something that will benefit society.

We focussed on the creative process behind dreaming the impossible, asking the right questions to elicit unimaginable answers.

As part of a package for the Medical Research Council (UKRI) this film looks at the actionable outcomes of the groundbreaking research they do. It’s not just theories but practical applications that are already deriving commercial returns.

Cloud9Media created this film along side a hero brand anthem, piggybacking off a larger high-end shoot to make not only this single film, but three standalone stories.