Download THE MOST POWERFUL VOICE FOR yOUR bRand

THE MOST POWERFUL VOICE for your brand...
is often the person
whose health depends on it
turning patients
into advocates:
we proved the concept
It’s not advertising. It’s not PR. It’s not even social
serve as a catalyst to new prescriptions and new trials.
media. Patient advocacy programs are much
We know it works because we’ve done it for a
different animals. Done well, a patient advocacy
breast cancer therapy and two MS medications.
campaign can increase awareness of your brand,
Is it worth considering for your brands?
encourage patient-physician conversation and
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.
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.
online
community
connecting
Nurse & Physician
advocate requests
communications
social
marketing
Patient
recruitement
event
marketing
compliance
training
anyone can find the dots.
we connect them.
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.
creating a
community
DDCworks created a program that allowed
women who were happy with their MammoSite
physician mailer
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.
e-newsletter
voicesofmammosite.com
creating a
community
The strength of this program was the women who lived
it. Allowing them to be themselves, to tell their stories
poster
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
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.
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?
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.
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
activevoicesmentors.com
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.
recruitment video
welcome kit
Print advertising
Recruitment brochure
Once the program was up and running,
nurse/physician emails
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 email
someone with similar experiences.
advocate portal website
patient testimonials
MS activevoices
Results
Since the program launched in mid 2011,
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.
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
[email protected]
p: 484.342.3600 x207
f: 484.342.3602
ddcworks.com
1200 River Road | Suite 300 East | Conshohocken, PA 19428
484.342.3600 | ddcworks.com