THE MOST POWERFUL VOICE

Transcription

1 THE MOST POWERFUL VOICE for your brand...

2 is often the person whose health depends on it

3 turning patients into advocates: we proved the concept It s not advertising. It s not PR. It s not even social media. Patient advocacy programs are much different animals. Done well, a patient advocacy campaign can increase awareness of your brand, encourage patient-physician conversation and serve as a catalyst to new prescriptions and new trials. We know it works because we ve done it for a breast cancer therapy and two MS medications. Is it worth considering for your brands?

4 THIS IS THE MOST CHALLENGING environment IN THE HISTORY OF HEALTHCARE MARKETING But you already know that. In the face of increasing regulatory pressures and scrutiny, it s harder than ever to tell your brand s story and benefits in a clear, convincing way. That s why it makes sense to let the people who rely on your brand most your patients to tell that story for you. When they share their experiences, honestly and authentically, people listen. Especially the people who need to hear your story most: individuals facing the health challenges that your brand addresses. More than word-of-mouth marketing, well-executed patient advocacy programs create loyal brand ambassadors who are empowered and energized on behalf of your treatment. Their cause is making a difference in the lives of people with whom they closely identify patients seeking advice and information from a trusted source.

5 patient advocacy is not easy Patient advocacy requires an in-depth understanding of your patients, your treatments, the competitive landscape and more. It typically involves multiple channels of communications, smart digital solutions and a careful handling of regulatory issues. But the results can be impressive. Our programs have increased the therapy retention rate of current patients, recruited new patients, generated referrals and created support communities that have increased brand loyalty.

6 online community connecting advocate requests Nurse & Physician communications social marketing event marketing Patient recruitement compliance training anyone can find the dots. we connect them.

7 case study: the voices of mammosite Each year, almost a quarter of a million women are diagnosed with breast cancer. Of them, more than half are clinically eligible to receive MammoSite therapy targeted, 5-day radiation therapy that offers significant clinical benefits over traditional radiation. However, in 2007, studies indicated that some 40% of the women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer underwent mastectomies instead. Others underwent 5-6 weeks of traditional radiation. Clearly, traditional advertising and physician communications were not working hard enough.

8 creating a community DDCworks created a program that allowed women who were happy with their MammoSite treatments and results to become ambassadors for the brand. After arming them with information and fostering opportunities to connect with other recently diagnosed women facing critical treatment decisions, patients became powerful advocates, using the power of their own stories and voices. voicesofmammosite.com physician mailer e-newsletter

9 creating a community poster The strength of this program was the women who lived it. Allowing them to be themselves, to tell their stories and share their experiences in their own way, added credibility and authenticity to the MammoSite story. DDCworks also created and grew the online MammoSite community, building a place where newly diagnosed women could read the stories and watch the videos of patients, and then reach out to them for support. patient birthday cards welcome kit print advertising

10 the Voices of mammosite Results The program featured more than 200 ambassadors from 30+ states. One in three women who visited voicesofmammosite.com received MammoSite therapy. Ambassadors counseled newly diagnosed patients, shared their stories, gave talks, participated in breast cancer walks, blogged and distributed literature. They even joined a grassroots poster campaign to remind women to get their mammograms. Doctors referred patients to the site, where one in four visitors read ambassador stories or viewed videos.

11 case study: MS activevoices There are over a quarter of a million people in the United States living with multiple sclerosis, and each person has a unique experience with the disease. Because MS affects each person differently, and many of the symptoms are invisible, it s difficult for patients to find support from someone who understands exactly how they re feeling. Biogen Idec is a leader in the MS community, offering two different treatment options Avonex and Tysabri. Recently, Biogen launched a new series of programs, offering nursing, financial and emotional support to their patients. But how can a company connect with patients who already feel isolated and let them know that there are people out there who understand and are ready to listen?

12 helping people find support by finding each other DDCworks created an online support community, where people who were newly diagnosed with MS or were considering changing therapies, were able to search for and connect with mentors fellow MS patients who were able to share their own experiences of living with the disease. activevoicesmentors.com This program was multifaceted, and required many technical challenges to meet corporate and governmental regulations. DDCworks worked with Biogen Idec to identify which patients would make excellent mentor candidates. We then created an online tutorial program, to ensure patients completed the necessary compliance training. Once mentors were approved, their profiles were uploaded to an online portal community, similar to Facebook. Online, mentors could read profiles, exchange experiences and support one another, in addition to answering mentor requests.

13 recruitment video welcome kit Print advertising Recruitment brochure Once the program was up and running, an awareness-building marketing program including advertising, grassroots marketing, SEM and website recruitment all drove potential mentees to the mentor site. There, they could search through mentor profiles and someone with similar experiences. nurse/physician s advocate portal website patient testimonials

14 Since the program launched in mid 2011, MS activevoices Results over 100 new mentors have been added. Since launching the mentor program, overall website traffic to msactivesource.com has increased 44%. Over 1,200 mentor/mentee connections have been made through the activevoices.com website.

15 let s talk ddcworks.com If you re interested in learning how you can communicate your story more powerfully to the people who need to hear it the most using the people who understand it the best give us a call. Mike Mike Diccicco Partner, President & CEO mdiccicco@ddcworks.com p: x207 f:

16 ddcworks.com 1200 River Road Suite 300 East Conshohocken, PA ddcworks.com