Millions of people struggle with type 2 diabetes (T2D), a difficult condition. Bombarded with marketing by brands competing for their attention, this population felt misunderstood, their needs ignored. To get the word out about a new medication that could make a real difference in people’s lives, we knew we had to approach them differently, to break through. First, we listened. And uncovered the complex relationship people have with numbers. Their numbers were emblematic of a daily struggle. This insight led us to ask a simple but powerful question: What if, instead of dreading your numbers, you could love your numbers? And in a fresh, bright campaign that surrounded people with positivity, we kept on asking. The results? Positivity works. Pharmaceutical consumer advertising metric norms were shattered — in 7 months, INVOKANA® brand awareness quadrupled, becoming the T2D brand consumers asked their doctors for most, with prescriptions increasing by over 250%.

The campaign launched June 4, 2014 and is still running. The competitive environment and sheer size of our target demanded mass media. The campaign includes TV, print, online display, point-of-care, DM, email, desktop and mobile INVOKANA.com, and INVOKANA CarePath.com.

In a crowded category saturated with homogenous messaging and little brand recognition, we seized the opportunity to break through with a sparkling visual language and voice totally fresh for the space. The mnemonic, “Love Your Numbers” was designed to help people connect INVOKANA® to personal success, and was featured on TV all the way through to the doctor’s office. Knowing optimism alone wouldn’t overcome our target’s skepticism, all information was easily accessible, including a clear demonstration of how INVOKANA® works. The creative idea and insight were supported by traditional media all the way to a developed-from-scratch patient support program in a personalized portal. INVOKANA®’s promise of hope was delivered.

Fighting through the T2D category’s fiercest competitors to engage a dispirited consumer target, our efforts clearly show people DO see themselves succeeding with INVOKANA®.

The volume of total number of prescriptions has increased by over 2.5 times in 7 months of advertising.

Despite being outspent in consumer media by two key competitors, in the seven months following launch:

INVOKANA®’s overall brand awareness quadrupled its pre-DTC level of 10%, reaching 42%

INVOKANA® became the #1 searched brand online for T2D

Average monthly visits to INVOKANA.com increased by 100%-300%

INVOKANA® has become the most asked for brand by patients to both PCPs and Endocrinologists

The TV ad performed significantly above norms on several attributes measured in the IPSOS Advertising monthly brand tracker: Engagement, Information, Perception, and most importantly, Action.

*Please see attached supporting document for metrics sources