Most people think a migraine is just a bad headache. But if you've never experienced one, you can't understand just how debilitating they can be.

So we built the world's first migraine simulator and filmed friends and family of real migraine sufferers experiencing exactly what they go through when a migraine attacks.

Demonstrating that Excedrin, a GSK pain reliever brand, truly understands migraine sufferers.

Leading with a 30 second TV spot and digital pre-roll trailers in the US, we invited people to watch the full film, along with four detailed character studies of real migraine sufferers.

A mom and her daughter. Two best friends. Two co-workers. And a young couple. Each experiencing the symptoms of a migraine for the first time.

We built a completely customised VR/AR hybrid device that allowed our technicians to recreate the exact migraine symptoms of the individual sufferer. From sensitivity to light and sound to auras, dots and dizziness.

But we didn’t stop there.

To allow anyone to participate in the experiment, we built a Google Cardboard app so viewers of the TVC and digital content could show their friends and family what they experience.

The Migraine Experience was viewed and shared millions of times online and was covered by news outlets including The Huffington Post and The Guardian. Entering pop culture, it was hated on by Vice Magazine and parodied by Slate.

We didn't mind though.

The Migraine Experience won silver and bronze awards at Cannes, picked up a couple of Clios, a couple of Epica awards, some PM awards, and quite a few more.

But most importantly, real migraine sufferers - our target audience - loved it.