Objectives

In Germany, there are around 4.65 million people living with cancer.  Whilst improved awareness, diagnosis and treatments are helping more and more people to survive cancer and live longer, aftercare is in short supply.

The time after therapy can be an emotional rollercoaster, as patients try to manage aftercare, rehab, possible long-term consequences and the thought that the cancer can return. And yet they are expected to just bounce back to normal life.

Research-intensive biopharmaceutical company MSD Sharp & Dohme GmbH wanted to demonstrate their commitment to cancer patients and cancer survivors.

Objectives:

• Set the agenda for cancer aftercare across the Healthcare industry in Germany
• Raise awareness about the challenges faced after cancer therapy has been completed
• Improve awareness about the aftercare which is available from MSD
• Increase MSD‘s share of voice in Germany 
• Strengthen visibility and trust among key stakeholders (HCPs, patients, policy stakeholders, employees and talents)

Insight

Cancer treatment is invasive and all-consuming which means that the normal activities of life often stop completely.

Returning to work, going on holiday, starting to date again and even going out with friends, all feels very daunting when you’re doing them for the first-time post treatment.

Yet while lots of support is available when going through cancer treatment and recovery, afterwards you’re on your own.

Idea

To support cancer survivors with returning to life after treatment, we created, an integrated campaign and support initiative to help patients rediscover the joy of living post-treatment, first time by first time.

Strategy and Execution

On World Cancer Day, whilst everyone else was talking about therapies, we wanted to highlight that what comes after treatment is just as important: returning to your life and living with cancer after therapy.

Only by demonstrating this is an issue that the public will stand up for and rally to resolve, can we force policy change in government so they change the Health insurance provisions and enforce free aftercare support.

To affect change, we first have to create awareness of the issue amoungst current and post-treatment patients, their families and the wider community . This means creating emotive and engaging content which is likely to be watched and shared. [HN1] 

We put Cancer survivors Monika and Silja at the centre of our campaign and gave them the central voice in 2 documentary films which described their daily challenges, showing the highs and lows of returning to new life.

 Execution

• Survey developed with 250 cancer survivors to inform campaign content
• 2 hero films featuring patients taking us through their experinces through their own ‘Second first time’. featured on MSD’s channels,
• Content hub created & integrated into the client website. The hub provides helpful service content for life after cancer therapy and is the home to the patient stories and survey results.
• 5 articles around the topic of “life after cancer therapy” for the hub and featured in online media outlets in collaboration with iqDigital over a 2 month period
• Two press releases created with different content focuses (public media andindustry media).
• 4 Influencers, all cancer survivors, enabled us to reach wider audiences. They shared the hero films, created #MySecondFirstTime bucket lists and shared them with their communities
• HealthAlign (Paid) pushed the hero films via Facebook and Instagram link ads.
• GDN Banners to drive traffic to the owned content hub.

Results

• • 3,000,000 Total impressions (MSD Social channels YouTube, Linkedin, Twitter (organic & paid), HealthAlign channels, Influencer channels, IQ Digital hub, GDN) 
  • 600,000 Hero film views +120,000 100% completed video views)
  • 325,000 unique users reached via influencers
  • 20,000 views on YouTube (both films combined)
  • 10,000 clicks to MSD‘s campaign website
  • 12,500 Engagements
  • 25,000,000  potential media reach (earned) 
  • Influencers/Organic  Above average engagement rate of 4.5 %

Content Hub IqDigital:

• Article views: 14.041 (In two months)
• Average dwell time (article): 2:43 minutes (BM: 2:21 minutes)
• Teaser CTR: 0,58 % (BM: 0,2 3%)
• 17.540 Klicks (of which 547 external links (Website))
• Engagement-rate: 4,0 % (BM: 1-2 %)

Media