North East England PR campaign flips the script on pain — and wins Health Service Journal gold

The brief 

Chronic pain is one of the most common and misunderstood health issues in the UK — and its impact is particularly severe in the North East of England. 

To raise awareness, challenge outdated beliefs and offer new hope to those living with persistent pain, Flippin’ Pain launched a dedicated outreach tour across the Tees Valley. Designed to connect directly with individuals, families and healthcare professionals, the campaign brought pain science into communities through a series of interactive events and expert-led discussions. 

The Tonic Communications was appointed to lead on strategic PR and media engagement, tasked with ensuring the campaign’s message resonated across the region — and reached a national audience. 

The approach 

The Tonic was responsible for managing and delivering all media activity across the tour, which featured: 

• 19 events across multiple Tees Valley locations 

• An interactive pop-up village, including the flagship ‘Brain Bus’ 

• A 25-strong cycling peloton of clinicians, pain scientists and people with lived experience, raising funds for Pain Concern 

To amplify reach and resonance, we: 

• Developed and placed authentic, human-led case studies 

• Coordinated press opportunities with spokespeople, clinicians and participants 

• Delivered targeted regional and national media outreach, highlighting the region’s specific challenges and the campaign’s innovative response 

The results 

Our media strategy generated wide-reaching coverage in national and regional press, including The Telegraph, Yahoo News, the Northern Echo, BBC Radio Tees and many more – resulting in a reach of over 77 million. 

The tour attracted over 1,500 attendees, spanning locations from Durham to Whitby. Events were co-designed with community voices, placing lived experience at the core of every activity. 

Audience feedback revealed powerful shifts in mindset and behaviour: 

• 87% saw a positive shift in their beliefs about pain 

• 73% understood that physical activity could help – a 40% increase from before the events 

• Nearly 50% of opioid users said they were now more likely to consider tapering their use 

• Over one-third of people with chronic pain felt more confident managing their own condition 

The campaign’s collaborative approach was recognised nationally, winning Gold for Most Impactful Partnership in Preventative Healthcare at the HSJ Partnership Awards. 

In the client’s words… 

“The Tonic always has their eye on the ball, finding opportunities to not only promote our work, but make a greater impact on a national level. Their focus on human-centered stories has not only helped raise our profile but kept our person-centered values at the core of this work. We’re grateful for the time and attention to detail the Tonic provide every time we work together.”  

– Sam Fielding, Flippin’ Pain