Excellence in Corporate Communications – Internal Stakeholders

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Finalist

The Uninvited – Living with Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria: A patient’s perspective

by Page & Page for Novartis

Summary of work

Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is a relapsing, unremitting, life-altering, distressing skin condition that is difficult to diagnose and manage. How it develops is not fully understood, but the impact of this unpredictable, psychodermatological condition on patients’ quality of life has been associated with mental disorders and metabolic diseases.
Novartis’ Immunology, Hepatology and Dermatology (IHD) division was keen to highlight the devastating impact of living with CSU, beginning with helping internal teams to understand what it is like to live with the condition.
An internal multimedia awareness campaign was devised to highlight the debilitating effects of CSU. Launched to coincide with World Urticaria Day (WUD) 2020, it was designed to change the conversation: to knock the audience off their daily autopilot and change their perceptions of what it is really like to live with CSU.
The visually-led campaign was inspired by the insights derived from the results of a social media listening exercise (across five different languages) conducted to better understand the impact of CSU on patients. A series of powerful illustrations were created to personify the condition as a ‘monster’ – a common theme that emerged across all languages and a term many people living with CSU use to describe themselves.

To date, the program has successfully generated and leveraged data through newly established channels and partnerships with engaged stakeholders. The program has already successfully influenced clinical practice and policy at global, country and clinic levels via novel insights and targeted, patient-focused solutions. Adherence is gaining the attention it has long needed, and real-world outcomes will improve as a result.

Judges’ comments

The judges loved the creativity of The Uninvited project. It had clear strategy, very good outcomes and rewarded good practice in terms of partnerships. The judges recognised that such willingness to challenge staff perceptions suggests confident culture and that it is unusual for a company to ignite passion in internal teams. This project created understandable talkability.