PROBLEM
PseudoBulbar Affect (PBA) is a bewildering phenomenon that causes uncontrollable outbursts of crying or laughing in people with brain injuries or certain neurologic conditions. Nearly 2 MM people are affected, but very few know there’s a name for what they’re going through.
How does a small pharma company with a limited marketing budget introduce their brand for a condition no one has heard of?
PATHWAY
Instead of the national branded print advertising Avanir was planning, we recommended an unbranded disease awareness campaign with an educational response mechanism. This was after extensive modeling that we customized to evaluate incremental ROI for branded print vs unbranded channels. The unbranded strategic approach proved so successful, it has continued over three years in two different creative incarnations.
The first campaign, “What do you call it?” spelled out the meaning of PBA quite literally. Direct Response Print and TV ads drove to pbafacts.com where patients and caregivers could sign up for a useful “PBA Facts” kit designed in partnership with a renowned neurologist.
After two years, it was time to refresh the campaign. This time, we brought in a famous actor to help us tell the story. Like all fine actors, Mr. Glover has the ability to laugh and cry on cue, which makes him ideally suited to address people who have no control over their emotional outbursts.
DESTINATION
Since the first unbranded campaign was launched in 2013, over one million people have visited pbafacts.com. Over 130,000 highly qualified leads have requested the ‘PBA Facts’ kit, which in turn has enabled follow-on communications. Awareness of PBA among symptomatic patients has gone from 18% to 45%.
In the past year, the Danny Glover “Actor” campaign has won several industry creative awards. But more important, PBA patient/doctor conversations have gone up by 50%, helping people who live with these embarrassing outbursts learn that they’re not crazy or depressed, but have a neurologic condition that’s treatable.
CHAMPION RESULTS
“PBA Facts – Actor” Unbranded Campaign, Avanir Pharmaceuticals
“PBA Facts – Actor” Unbranded Campaign, Avanir Pharmaceuticals
“PBA Facts – Actor” Unbranded Campaign, Avanir Pharmaceuticals
AMW Areas of Work: Market Research | DTC/P Creative | Channel Strategy | Modeling
