Finalist
Are You Chris? A Disease Awareness Campaign in Hepatitis C
Summary of work
Hepatitis C (HCV) can cause liver failure, liver cancer and death if left untreated. In Germany, 250,000 people are living with HCV, with half unaware they have the disease. The introduction of direct-acting antiviral therapies in 2014 made achieving HCV cure possible for the majority of people within two to three months. The World Health Organization’s ambition is to eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030. This can only happen if HCV awareness is raised, stigma is reduced and people are encouraged to seek advice and get tested.
‘Are You Chris?’ was developed and executed by Initiative pro Leber in 2017 to encourage people in Germany who suspect they have HCV to speak to a healthcare professional about getting tested. The campaign took an innovative, insight-driven approach to overcome the barriers to the general public engaging in HCV, taking the audience on a journey from awareness, through destigmatisation to activation. As a result, ‘Are You Chris?’ delivered a measurable and immediate public health impact and it is hoped that the campaign has helped to contribute to the goal of HCV elimination in Germany.
Judges’ comments
Cohn & Wolfe and Gilead demonstrated strong evidence of insight generation and testing across multiple markets. The entry had robust measures and engagement of HCP’s as well as patients. They liked the use of the name “Chris” and the ongoing monitoring in the lessons learned.
