Imagine a life sentence delivered not by a judge, but by your own body. According to the CDC, an estimated 2.4 to 3.1 million Americans endure the invisible, debilitating reality of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), characterized by pain, fatigue, anxiety, and stigma. With a healthcare system that prioritizes “good enough” symptom management over true long-term healing, this limited focus disproportionately affects underserved communities. For these patients, already navigating systemic barriers, the emphasis on basic symptom relief means they are often denied or unaware of pathways to comprehensive long-term care, thus exacerbating disparities, leaving them feeling isolated and without control. This pervasive lack of awareness about the disease’s true impact, and the potential for treatment approaches that could actually change the course of the disease for the long term, created an urgent imperative for a new kind of campaign: one that could shatter the silence, empower patients to demand better, and shift the conversation from survival to genuine well-being.
Beyond a Gut Feeling (BAGF) was created to shift the conversation from getting by to getting better. Our objective was to elevate understanding of endoscopic improvement as a long‑term outcome for IBD that heals more than symptom relief does; replace medical jargon with plain language people can use; and normalize candid, goal‑setting conversations with gastroenterologists.
Through voices people trust and spaces where they feel represented, we set out to reframe success in IBD management, giving patients the tools and confidence to pursue better care that aligns with their lives and goals.
We started by listening to our patients, HCPs, and the environment to understand the unique storytelling approach we needed to break through. Patient awareness of optimal long-term treatment goals remains low, exacerbated by the lack of existing resources to support patients in having better conversations with their doctors.
A recent Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation survey revealed that while two‑thirds of patients believe healing is possible, their definitions vary and often center on subjective symptom relief rather than objective clinical measures. Further, clinical studies show that even when IBD symptoms are at bay, “silent” inflammation can persist, driving long-term damage and increasing the risk of hospitalization, surgery, and colorectal cancer.
Social listening revealed conversations center on flares and fatigue, while clinical terms such as “endoscopic improvement” are rarely used by patients. Among Black creators, IBD stories often appear under lifestyle and culture tags, reinforcing the need to meet audiences in spaces where health is discussed through a cultural lens.
To truly “show up differently” as a pharmaceutical brand, we set out to create a visually distinctive platform, using landscape color analysis to select a palette that transcended traditional healthcare spaces and felt authentic to our target audience.
We centered creator‑led, community‑rooted storytelling and amplified three prompts: elevate your IBD goals, talk to your doctor about a management plan, and visit BeyondAGutFeeling.com, our hub for plain‑language patient education.
We partnered with award-winning actor Tyler James Williams to share his IBD story and with his gastroenterologist, Dr. Sophie Balzora. Their complementary voices, expert and patient, addressed what our research surfaced: people feel unheard and unsure how to start the conversation.
We launched the campaign with a virtual event featuring Tyler with his gastroenterologist, Dr. Sophie Balzora. The fireside chat addressed IBD misconceptions, patient advocacy, and actionable tips for discussing treatment goals, while debuting the campaign’s hero video and engaging audiences through a live Q&A.
The narrative was amplified across social with Tyler sharing his shift from “getting by” to elevating his IBD goals and focusing on long-term health outcomes. Dr. Balzora’s posts grounded the science, while we supplied cutdowns to advocates driving traffic to BeyondAGutFeeling.com.
To expand reach beyond medical channels, we engaged consumer and health media, embedding IBD awareness within broader dialogue on masculinity, health, and the historic underestimation of pain tolerance, especially within the Black community. Centering Tyler’s story connected IBD to universal self‑advocacy and resilience, broadening appeal to patients and caregivers.
At CultureCon, a leading creative festival for innovators of color, we secured a unique opportunity to deliver the “elevate your goals” IBD message to an influential audience that traditional outreach often fails to reach or resonate with. To challenge the "invisible disease" narrative, we introduced 'Dear Future Me,' which included an interactive polaroid mural wall, inspiring attendees to envision their long-term goals, and branded restroom wraps. Designed to be photographed and shared, these assets extended organic reach beyond paid partners.
Beyond a Gut Feeling showed that when medical expertise, authentic storytelling, and cultural engagement converge, they drive measurable change.
Our campaign landing page, BeyondAGutFeeling.com, drew 10K+ unique visitors, including a spike of 2.5K visitors in the first week, with an average visit time of 3.5 minutes. Our “ambassador spotlight” features the hero video we produced in partnership with Tyler James Williams, which achieved completion rates above 82%, reflecting deep audience engagement and resonance with the mission.
At CultureCon, 12K people encountered campaign messaging, 2K of which directly engaged with the “Dear Future Me” mural. The activation earned #1 Most Engaging Activation per an attendee survey, inspired 120+ earned social posts from influencer attendees, engaged diverse audiences with inclusive storytelling, and generated 528.9M+ impressions from earned social posts.
Earned media extended the conversation nationally. A PEOPLE exclusive interview with Tyler James Williams, along with coverage in TheGrio, Blavity, Fierce Pharma, Men’s Fitness, COMPLEX, BET, Ebony, and Black Health Matters, totaled more than 240.2M in earned impressions with 94% of coverage mentioning the company and/or the campaign. Tyler’s Instagram posts garnered 1.3M+ video views and 9.6K+ engagements, reaching his audience of 2.3M+.
Patient feedback underscored the emotional resonance. One Crohn’s disease patient at CultureCon posted: “Today, I got to share a bit of my story of living with Crohn’s Disease. For me, this wasn’t just a brand activation. It was an acknowledgment of my hidden struggle.” We transformed brand engagement into personal validation, fostering a sense of shared purpose, advocacy, and community.
